Wison Cuts First Steel on FPSO for Eni's Côte d'Ivoire Deepwater Project

## Wison Cuts First Steel on FPSO for Eni's Côte d'Ivoire Deepwater Project China-based energy services provider Wison New Energies (WNE) has officially commenced fabrication of a newbuild floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, signalling a major step forward in Eni's deepwater oil and gas development programme off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire, according to Offshore Energy. The first steel cut ceremony marks the formal start of the hull and topsides fabrication process at Wison's facilities, initiating what is expected to be a complex, multi-year construction programme before the vessel is deployed to West African waters. ### Project Significance The FPSO is destined for the next phase of a major Eni-operated development in Côte d'Ivoire, a country that has emerged as an increasingly important frontier for deepwater hydrocarbon exploration and production in the Gulf of Guinea. FPSOs are the vessel of choice for such environments, offering integrated production, processing, storage and offloading capabilities without the need for fixed seabed infrastructure. For Wison New Energies, the contract represents a continued push into high-value offshore energy infrastructure, an area where Chinese yards have been actively competing for international project awards alongside established Korean and Singaporean fabricators. ### FPSO Market Context The global FPSO market has seen sustained demand in recent years, driven by deepwater project sanctions across West Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. Operators including Eni have been accelerating upstream investment in African assets as part of broader portfolio strategies balancing energy transition commitments with near-term production targets. The commencement of steel cutting is a contractually and operationally significant event in any FPSO programme, as it triggers downstream supply chain activity across hull steel, marine systems, process equipment and accommodation modules. Further details on the vessel's production capacity, storage volume and the specific field development timeline are expected to be disclosed as the project progresses through its fabrication phases. *Source: Offshore Energy*