In the early eighties, the SBM group of companies pioneered the turret concept to moor tanker-based floating production and storage systems (FPSO's/FSO's). In 1985, this concept became a reality when an external turret was fitted to the stern of a 140,000 tonne dwt Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel. A further evolution of this concept came a year later when SBM supplied an external disconnectable Riser Turret Mooring (RTM) system for a 140,000 tonne dwt Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, located in the cyclone prone region off the north west coast of Australia.
A few years later an innovative internal disconnectable Buoyant Turret Mooring (BTM) system was developed for yet a larger vessel, a 240,000 tonne dwt FPSO installed off Hong Kong in the harsh, typhoon affected environment in the South China Seas.
Since those early pioneering days, the SBM Group has continued to develop this technology, in response to industry demands for innovative turret mooring systems capable of handling ever larger tankers with significant numbers of risers, in varying water depths and environments world wide.