The heaviest international offshore oil and gas platform built by China is notable for its embedded advanced technology.
The platform for Saudi Arabia's Marjan oilfield was officially delivered after 34 months of construction in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province on Monday, marking a breakthrough in the country's large-scale offshore oil and gas equipment construction technology.
Weighing the equivalent of around 17,000 vehicles and covering an area of 15 basketball courts, the platform is capable of processing 24 million tons of crude oil annually, enough to power 500 million cars. Despite its immense size, the platform was constructed with cutting-edge technologies.
"The 36-inch crude oil pipeline here utilized domestically-produced inner coating technology. It can not only withstand high levels of hydrogen sulfide, but enable long-term safe service for up to 25 years," said Lu Cuncai, executive deputy manager of Marjan project of China Offshore Oil Engineering Company.
The platform's essential process pipeline spans 33,000 meters, covering the entire structure. The system is supported by 35 pigging ball receivers to ensure the long-term and safe operation of this platform.
According to Lu, the platform was constructed under stringent quality control protocols, with over 2,000 files dedicated to this purpose. Every member of the project team, from quality control staff to welders, was required to pass rigorous examinations.
Additionally, the platform contains over 100,000 components and parts, posing significant challenges for the management of the entire project.
"To manage this massive component weighing around 20,000 tons with thousands of pieces of material and equipment, the project team developed a visual management platform that enables whole-process management and control through digital simulation and twin technologies," said Lu.
The application of this visual intelligent management platform allows for real-time tracking of building materials and construction process, significantly improving the project management efficiency.
China adopts advanced technology to complete heaviest international offshore platform
The South Korean Constitutional Court's decision to formally unseat President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday was met with joy among critics and sadness among supporters as the embattled president left behind a divided country.
Yoon was removed from office Friday as all eight of the Constitutional Court's current justices upheld a parliamentary motion to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law last December.
On the day of the ruling, over 100,000 supporters and opponents of Yoon gathered in the capital city Seoul. Some of them offered their viewpoints on the court's decision, the direction of South Korean politics, and the country's future.
Friday's verdict came as a relief to most, who cheered on the streets of Seoul rooting for the impeachment.
"To be honest, quite a bit of time had passed since the (martial law) situation ended. So I was quietly worried that things might not turn out well. But the way each of the president's wrongdoings was pointed out one by one - much more thoroughly than I expected - was so satisfying for the entire 20 minutes," said a Seoul resident.
"Watching Yoon Suk-yeol constantly making ridiculous excuses and covering everything up with lies made me so angry. I believe today's ruling is a proper and legitimate verdict," said another resident.
However, disbelief and anguish spilled out among the protesters that wanted Yoon reinstated.
"This is unfair. And it is wrong. Because in a free democratic country, it's unthinkable for all eight judges to unanimously vote for dismissal. This happened because forces behind the scenes exerted pressure or caused some kind of manipulation," said a local resident.
Now that the political chaos had a serious impact on the life of ordinary citizens, and businesses, Seoul residents anticipate changes for the good after the ruling.
"Since December, with the ongoing protests, it felt like Korea had come to a standstill. Now that the president has been removed, I hope we can elect a new leader, achieve economic growth, and see our society improve overall," said a local resident.
"I believe we are at a pivotal moment of social transformation, one that aligns perfectly with a time when we can take a major step forward in all areas, including the economy and business. It may be our greatest challenge, but also our greatest opportunity for shared happiness as a community," said another resident.
With emotions running high, the nation now prepares for a presidential election to select a new leader which must come within 60 days.
Seoul residents long for changes after impeached president leaves behind divided country
