Abstract The Azurite field development, installed in the Republic of Congo in 2009, employed the industry's first Floating, Drilling, Production, Storage and Offloading (FDPSO) vessel to develop the field. While the FDPSO concept has been a subject of interest within the industry for some time, the Azurite project team took the FDPSO from concept to reality. The concept has tremendous potential as a " game changer?? for field developments, whether it is employed to unlock the value of marginal fields in deepwater - even in a low oil price environment - or as an early production system. Because the concept employs a drilling rig onboard the vessel, traditional challenges regarding deepwater drilling rig day rates and availability are eliminated. This paper summarizes development of the Azurite field as a way of providing context for evolution of the FDPSO concept. This paper also highlights other application for FDPSOs, and discusses some of the key variables that determine the suitability of the FDPSO concept for use in field developments. Introduction History was made in August 2009 when the Azurite field began producing offshore Republic of Congo [1]. Azurite employed the industry's first Floating, Drilling, Production, Storage and Offloading (FDPSO) vessel to develop the field. While the FDPSO concept has been a subject of interest within the industry for some time, The Azurite team made the FDPSO concept a reality. It is a robust concept that has potential for much broader application, as the number of large discoveries in deepwater shrink and the industry seeks new ways to monetize stranded pockets of oil and gas. This paper will reflect on the project technical and economic drivers that led the Azurite project team to select the FDPSO concept. This paper will also discuss other applications for the FDPSO, and identify key variables that determine suitability of the FDPSO concept for use in field developments. Azurite: Inspiration for the Concept Discovery and Appraisal The Azurite Marine Field lies within the Mer Profonde Sud (MPS) block offshore Republic of Congo, just north across the border from Cabinda Block 14. Water depths across MPS range from 1100 - 2000 meters. Azurite field was discovered in January 2005 with the Azurite Marine-1 (AZRM-1) well. The field was subsequently appraised in late 2005 and early 2006 with the drilling of AZRM-2 and AZRM-3 wells. Each of the latter two wells was sidetracked (ST). AZRM-2ST was also cored and tested. Aquifer support was found to be essentially non-existent along the producing trend, necessitating the requirement for water injection to support reservoir pressure. Field Size Description The AZRM-2 and AZRM-3 wells were ST to appraise the four fault blocks of the field as shown in Figure 1 below.