In what could be a major step toward boosting the country’s oil production capacity, Nigeria’s latest Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, EMEM, is set to depart from Dubai.
This was disclosed on Thursday, 6 November 2025 by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The vessel, developed through the conversion of the Nordic Mistral—a double-hulled crude tanker with a storage capacity of one million barrels—has been retrofitted into a fully integrated FPSO with a projected operational lifespan of 15 years.
It will be deployed to Oriental Energy’s Okwok Field (PML 15) located approximately 55km offshore from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
Oriental is a privately held exploration and production company. Outside Okwok, the company also operates the Ebok field and OML 115, all of which it acquired from ExxonMobil in 2007.
Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive of NUPRC, visited Dubai Drydocks World (DDWD) in the United Arab Emirates to assess the vessel’s readiness for sail away.
“This FPSO is coming to Nigeria at a time we are seeking to increase production. It will help in achieving our project One Million Barrels. From what I have seen, I am very impressed and as the regulator, we will continue to give support to Oriental Energy,” Komolafe said.
The EMEM FPSO is equipped with a processing capacity of 40,000 b/d of oil, 70,000 b/d of liquid.
It also includes systems for produced water treatment (60,000 BWPD), water injection (60,000 BWPD), gas processing (15 mmcf/d), gas lift (7.5 mmcf/d), and gas injection (3.5 mmcf/d).
Key onboard facilities include oil and produced water treatment units, gas injection modules, seawater treatment systems, gas turbine generators, an electrical house, LACT unit, laboratory, control room, and accommodation quarters.
The vessel can house up to 100 personnel and uses a 12-point spread mooring system.
Goni Sheikh, executive vice chairman at Oriental Energy, praised the team’s efforts:
“We have engaged with your team and they have been working around the clock including Saturdays and Sundays to beat the timelines and attain this.”
The exact departure date for the sail away remains undisclosed.