Rosebank FPSO Upgrade – Petrojarl Knarr Redeployment Project

The Rosebank field is a major offshore oil and gas development located in the UK sector of the North Sea, approximately 130 km west of the Shetland Islands. Discovered in 2004, the field is one of the largest undeveloped hydrocarbon resources on the UK Continental Shelf and is being developed in phases to enable long-term production using modern offshore infrastructure.

A central element of the project is the redeployment of the Petrojarl Knarr Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will serve as the main production unit for the field. Originally built in 2014 and previously operating on the Knarr field in the Norwegian North Sea, the FPSO was selected for reuse due to its modern design, strong technical condition and suitability for life-extension.

In 2023, Aker Solutions, in a joint venture with Drydocks World-Dubai, was awarded an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract by Altera Infrastructure to carry out a comprehensive upgrade and life-extension of the Petrojarl Knarr FPSO. The scope of work includes structural modifications, marine system upgrades, topside reconfiguration, and new equipment installation to ensure the vessel can operate on the Rosebank field for up to 25 years without drydocking.

The upgrade works are being executed at Drydocks World in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, while engineering and project management activities are supported from Norway. This international execution model combines offshore engineering expertise from multiple regions and ensures efficient delivery of a complex offshore asset. Once refurbishment is complete, the FPSO will be towed to the UK North Sea, where it will be installed on location as part of the offshore production system.

As part of this global offshore energy project, YABIMO personnel are actively involved in the FPSO upgrade works carried out in Dubai. YABIMO specialists support the refurbishment and preparation phase of the Petrojarl Knarr, contributing to the safe and efficient execution of offshore construction, modification and upgrade activities before the vessel’s deployment to the Rosebank field.

The Rosebank FPSO Upgrade is a key milestone in enabling the development of one of the UK’s most important offshore oil and gas fields. By reusing and modernising an existing FPSO, the project demonstrates a cost-efficient and technically advanced approach to offshore production, while supporting long-term energy supply from the UK Continental Shelf. The project also highlights strong international collaboration across the offshore supply chain, linking engineering, fabrication and workforce expertise from Europe and the Middle East.