Floating Storage Unit (FSU)

A Floating Storage Unit (FSU) is a tanker moored on station to hold crude oil, products, or LPG, without the production processing of an FPSO. It receives cargo from shuttle tankers or a pipeline and discharges to offtake vessels, acting as a buffer tank where shore storage is absent or a field lacks export infrastructure. Many FSUs are converted trading tankers, often aging VLCCs kept past their voyaging life. The gas equivalent is the FSRU, which adds regasification. An FSU differs from an FPSO in that it only stores and offloads; it does not separate, treat, or stabilize well fluids.