China's independently developed Haiji-2 deepwater jacket platform -- core equipment of the Liuhua Oilfield in the eastern part of the South China Sea -- features multiple world-leading technologies and advanced intelligent systems, making itself a centerpiece in the secondary development project of the Liuhua Oilfield.
China National Offshore Oil Corporation announced on Sunday that the secondary development project of the Liuhua Oilfield, which is the country's first deepwater oilfield, has commenced full operation, a milestone representing a major breakthrough in China's ability to develop complex deepwater oil and gas reservoirs.
At the heart of this achievement is the Haiji-2, which stands 428 meters tall and weighs over 50,000 tons, making it the tallest and heaviest offshore oil production platform in Asia.
Designed with cutting-edge intelligence, the platform enables smart oil and gas production, remote wellhead control, and fully remote operations, even during extreme weather events.
In September this year, the Haiji-2 withstood a direct hit from Super Typhoon Ragasa, which brought Category 17 winds, yet all its facilities and equipment remained fully operational, demonstrating its exceptional resilience and engineering excellence.
"The Haiji-2 not only boasts 15 globally leading key technologies, but also features a highly integrated 'super brain'. Its digital twin system creates a virtual replica of the platform, enabling simulations of various maintenance scenarios to select the optimal repair strategy, thereby extending the platform's service life and reducing operational costs," said Wu Xiaolu, deputy general manager of the Liuhua Oilfield development project.
Globally, waters deeper than 300 meters are typically classified as "deepwater", where oil and gas production presents far greater technical and operational challenges than onshore or shallow-water projects.
The Haiji-2 platform, equipped with more than 300 sets of systems, including drilling, crude oil processing, and power supply units, represents China's first deployment of a fixed jacket platform for deepwater oil and gas exploration.
"Faced with the high technological requirement for wellhead stability on deepwater jacket platforms, we've tackled four key technologies and established three management know-hows, while piloting six digital and intelligent scenarios, including smart rigs, smart drilling, smart well control, and smart wellbore systems. These innovations have accelerated the overall drilling schedule by more than 200 days and boosted crude oil production by over 190,000 tons," said Ma Yi, a project manager of the Liuhua Oilfield.
Located in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, the Liuhua Oilfield is China's largest offshore reef limestone oilfield in terms of proven geological reserves. Since its initial commissioning in 1996, the oilfield has produced over 20 million tons of crude oil.
However, substantial reserves estimated at 140 million tons remain in the seabed strata, necessitating secondary development to tap into the potential.
China's Haiji-2 deepwater jacket platform boasts multiple world-leading technologies
