A degree of complacency may have set in over recent years at Chinese shipyards as new orders to build hulls, and topsides for floating production, storage and offloading vessels piled up. But there is no room for complacency now as yards face the possibility that new FPSO orders could be drying up, sparking concern about iobs beyond 2021. China's yards will be pretty full with offshore projects scheduled for delivery through next year, but future prospects are less certain, with few new jobs coming their way. While the yards are still enjoying the feast of orders for new FPSOs - including hulls for 17 floaters and topsides for 12 - they are searching for the next wave of projects, including drilling rigs. The yards have scaled the rig-building learning curve over the past eight years as rig managers and owners flooded China with orders for offshore drilling units, jack-ups in particular.
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