Dutch floater specialist SBM Offshore has penned contracts with Brazil’s Petrobras for the 22.5 years lease and operation of the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Alexandre de Gusmão. The FPSO will be deployed at the Mero field in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil, about 160 km from Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro state.
Using its Fast4Ward methodology, SBM Offshore will design and manufacture the unit. The fifth hull will be used for the FPSO, projected to be complete in 2024, with production commencing in 2025. SBM Offshore already ordered its fourth and fifth hulls in December 2019 at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and Offshore (SWS) and China Merchants Industry Holdings.
The Alexandre de Gusmão FPSO will be capable of producing 180,000 bopd as well as treating 12m standard cu m of gas per day. In addition, the unit will have a water injection capability of 250,000 bpd and a minimum crude oil storage capacity of 1.4m barrels. The unit will be moored at a depth of about 1,900 meters.
Mero is a project under the Libra Consortium responsibility, in which Petrobras is the operator with 40% with partners Shell 20%, TotalEnergies 20%, CNODC and CNOOC with 10% each, together with Pré-sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) as manager of this contract.
