SBM Offshore is evaluating wind-assisted propulsion for the tow of a Suriname-bound FPSO, according to a report by Offshore Energy, signalling the technology's first potential application to a floating production unit of this scale.

The move, if confirmed, would carry wind-assist concepts — already deployed on dozens of product tankers, bulk carriers and ro-ros since 2018 — into the FPSO segment, where transit emissions have come under increasing scrutiny from charterers seeking Scope 3 progress.

Which vessel is in question?

SBM Offshore has not identified the specific hull or its planned field assignment in connection with the tow study. The Amsterdam-listed lessor operates a fleet serving deepwater fields off Brazil and across the Guyanas basin and is among a small group of contractors capable of fast-track delivery of production units in the 200,000-300,000 bpd range for Atlantic frontier developments. A Suriname-bound tow would most likely originate from an Asian yard, a route that puts tow emissions at the front of contractor decarbonization planning.

Why wind assistance matters on an FPSO tow

A 300,000-tonne-plus FPSO hull towed from Asia to the Caribbean burns heavy fuel in support tugs across a 10,000-nautical-mile route that can last several weeks. Wind-assisted systems — typically rotors, rigid sails or trailing kites reported as cutting bunker use by single-digit to roughly 30% depending on routing — have so far been retrofitted almost exclusively on the towing vessels themselves. FPSO hulls present retrofit limits given their topside density and freeboard constraints.

The Suriname-bound tow would join a small but growing portfolio of low-emission transit options contractors are offering operators. Maersk Supply Service has run trials of rotor sails on its subsea support fleet, while Cargill and Berge Bulk have installed WindWings rigid sails on chartered bulk carriers and a handful of product tanker owners have ordered kite systems.

The Suriname backdrop

Suriname's deepwater has emerged as a tier-one exploration province since Apache and TotalEnergies announced the Maka Central discovery on Block 58 in 2020. The country sits adjacent to Guyana's Stabroek block, where ExxonMobil has approved six FPSOs targeting roughly 1.4 million bpd of capacity by 2030. Suriname's first FPSO has slipped relative to its neighbour through contractor reshuffles, but a startup before the end of the decade remains the working assumption.

What to watch

SBM Offshore's preliminary disclosure is itself the watch item: a formal commitment to specify wind-assist hardware for a particular tow would set a benchmark for the FPSO sector. Watch for the named FPSO when SBM confirms the next charter, the tow partner and any sail or kite supplier selected, and the planned departure yard in Asia.