The final platform for the Bozhong 26-6 Oilfield Development Project (Phase II) was loaded onto Hai Yang Shi You 278 at Tianjin’s Binhai New Area on 16 June 2026, marking the completion of the project’s offshore construction phase.
The platform loadout prepares the structure for its next stage, offshore installation in the central Bohai Sea. The Bozhong 26-6 development is described as the world’s largest metamorphic rock oilfield development.
Located in the central Bohai Sea, the field contains reservoirs in Archean buried-hill metamorphic rock formations at depths of more than 4,500 m. Proven geological oil and gas reserves at the field exceed 200 million cubic meters. The first phase of the development started production in February 2025.
Phase II includes two unmanned wellhead platforms, each consisting of a jacket and topside module. Following completion of onshore fabrication, the structures are being prepared for offshore installation.
The final platform was loaded onto Hai Yang Shi You 278 (HYSY 278), a 50,000-tonne self-propelled semi-submersible heavy-lift and cable-laying vessel operated by Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. (COOEC). The vessel is equipped with a DP2 dynamic positioning system and has a maximum speed of more than 12 knots.
HYSY 278 is designed to transport and lift offshore modules weighing up to 25,000 t. It also has a maximum float-over capacity of 18,000 t and cable-laying capability supported by a carousel loading capacity of up to 10,000 t.
Topside construction for the Bozhong 26-6 Phase II platforms was carried out at COOEC’s Tianjin intelligent manufacturing base. The use of welding robots, equipment upgrades, and process optimization improved welding productivity by about 20%.
The Bozhong 26-6 development is also a carbon capture and utilization demonstration project in the Bohai oilfields. It supports research into regional geotechnical conditions and bearing-capacity behavior, while contributing to energy supply security and low-carbon development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the wider Bohai Rim.
