The continuing rise of offshore production exposes a need for greater understanding of FPSO projects and how they contribute to the future of the oil and gas industry. A new distance learning course from IBC Global Academy meets this need by explaining the Fundamentals of FPSOs.

Floating production systems have evolved from relatively simple units producing from a single well to massive facilities capable of handling 250,000 barrels of oil per day. Deep water oil reserves mostly remain undiscovered, implying a huge demand and an optimistic long-term outlook for floating production systems.

Infield Energy Analysts forecast that during the five years to 2013 the total global floating production systems market will exceed US$85bn, which is an increase of US$32bn over the previous five years. Even taking into account recent market turmoil, project delays and deferrals, over the period a total of 229 units are expected to be installed with Asia (61) leading the way with Latin America (46) and Africa (43) following.

Many of these are deep and ultra-deepwater developments in increasingly severe environments demanding the use of advanced technology. Deepwater activity is forecast to grow and this is a crucial factor for floating production market expansion to 2013. The increasing importance of offshore production means that professionals in all sectors of the oil and gas industry will need to be familiar with the design, operation and management of floating systems.

IBC Global Academy has responded to this need with a new distance learning training course, The Fundamentals of FPSOs. This course will demystify the design and operation of these complex systems, allowing full engagement with this relatively new frontier in oil and gas production. The course explains how FPSO projects are developed, how the vessels work and what factors affect their operation.