2012 Sustainability selection - SBM Offshore

1.2 Group Profile
1.2.1 Introduction
SBM Offshore’s business is providing floating production solutions to the offshore energy industry, over the full
product life-cycle.
With 14 units currently in operation worldwide, over 165 years of cumulative FPSO operational experience and an
unrivalled reputation within the industry, SBM Offshore is the market leader in providing leased production floating
systems. In addition, SBM Offshore also provides floating production systems on a turnkey sale basis to clients.
Headquartered in Schiedam in Holland, the Group employs over 7,400 people worldwide, spread over five main
Execution Centres, eleven operational shore bases, several construction yards and the offshore fleet of vessels.
Overview of Operations
The Group’s main activity is the design, supply, installation and operation of Floating Production, Storage and
Offloading (FPSO) vessels.
These are either owned and operated by the Group and leased to its clients, in which case the project is financed
by the Group and in some cases joint venture partners. Alternatively, the Group also undertakes FPSO projects
for clients on a turnkey sale basis, where these vessels can either be operated by the client, or operated by the
Group under a separate service contract. In this case financing is provided by the client.
For projects where a FPSO is identified as not being the optimum development solution, the Group has a product
portfolio that can offer a range of other floating production solutions. Over several years, the Group has
developed a large in-house engineering, procurement and project management capability. This ensures
consistency from one project to another and a continuous improvement process to enhance the quality of the
products within the Group’s portfolio.
Construction work is outsourced to construction yards in locations best suited to each specific project. Local
content regulations, where appropriate, are also taken into account when making outsourcing decisions.
The Group owns shares in the Paenal construction yard in Angola, and has also established a joint venture, in
Brazil, to utilise the capacity of the Brasa yard as part of the Group’s local content strategy.
SBM Offshore considers itself to be the Technology Leader in the industry, and constantly works with clients to
push the limits of existing products, and to develop new products to fill key technology gaps. This development
work is performed in the five Execution Centres, sometimes in collaboration with technology partners, and in the
Group’s dedicated R&D laboratory located in France.
The Group’s heritage lies in shallow water mooring terminals for the loading and unloading of tankers. This
remains an important product line for SBM Offshore, both for the supply and installation of new terminals, as well
as the service, overhaul and repair of the large number of terminals already in service around the world.