The Åsgard A production ship is due to leave the Aker Stord yard south of Bergen for sea trials on 9 December.
Ranked as the world's largest vessel of its kind, this Statoil unit will spend 14 days being tested in the west Norwegian Kloster Fjord before laying a course for the Åsgard field in the Norwegian Sea.
Planning is under way for the trials, which cover both marine systems and some processing facilities, and tugs are on stand-by at Stord. About 500 people could be working on the ship during the 14-day period.
According to the Åsgard project organisation, system testing will also be carried out at the yard before the actual sea trials begin. A number of systems must be fully commissioned before the ship can set out. Up to 150 people will be engaged in this part of the commissioning process.