China installs deepwater jacket for offshore oil development

The Haiji-1 deepwater jacket was installed at sea in south China's Guangdong Province. (Provided by the Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd)

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- China's 300-meter deepwater jacket Haiji-1 has been successfully installed and accurately positioned at sea in south China.

The Haiji-1 deepwater jacket measures 302 meters in total height and 30,000 tonnes in weight, and this is the first time for China to install a fixed jacket in a water depth of nearly 300 meters.

Jackets are structures pinned to the seafloor to support offshore oil and gas production facilities.

The offshore installation assisted the jacket in sliding smoothly into the sea from the barge and hoisted the jacket to sit at the bottom through the lifting boat.

The successful installation indicates that China's key technology and installation capacity in ultra-large deepwater fixed jackets has reached a world-class level, which will promote the storage and production of offshore oil and gas.

The Haiji-1 boarded a launch barge in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, on March 15. It was designed and built by Tianjin-based Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd.