VESSEL REVIEW | FPSO Bacalhau – Equinor to deploy new production platform offshore Brazil

China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) recently handed over a new floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) to Norway’s Equinor for deployment in the waters off Brazil.

Designed by Japanese engineering company MODEC in compliance with Norwegian Ship Register and Bahamas flag rules, FPSO Bacalhau measures 364 by 64 metres and displaces approximately 460,000 tonnes, making it one of the largest vessels of its kind to operate in Brazilian waters. It will be permanently moored at a water depth of approximately 2,050 metres via a spread mooring system at the Bacalhau oil field within the pre-salt region of the Santos Basin some 185 kilometres off the coast of São Paulo State.

The FPSO is the first application of a proprietary MODEC design characterised by a full double hull. This design was developed to accommodate a larger topside and a greater storage capacity compared to conventional very large crude carriers as well as ensure a longer service life. Specifically, the vessel was designed to have only minimal maintenance requirements, allowing operations for up to 30 years without the need for docking.

The FPSO’s large topside is designed to produce up to 220,000 barrels of crude oil per day, produce and inject up to 15 million standard cubic metres of associated gas per day, and inject up to 200,000 barrels of seawater per day. Its minimum storage capacity of crude oil will be two million barrels stored in 22 cargo tanks. A combined cycle power generation system is also fitted to help reduce CO2 emissions once the facility enters its operational phase.

Although DSIC is the prime construction contractor, detail engineering, bulk procurement, and construction of the FPSO’s topside modules was relegated to Norwegian engineering company Aibel via its offices in Singapore and Thailand. Actual topside construction took place in Laem Chabang while integration with the FPSO hull was completed in Singapore.

FPSO Bacalhau is currently being prepared in anticipation of production start-up at the Bacalhau field in 2024. Equinor’s local subsidiary Equinor Brasil Energia is responsible for the operation of the FPSO.

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