he continued success of giant field discoveries offshore Brazil has

Ship-shaped floating production, storage and off-loading (FPSO) vessels remain the preferred development option for these frontier prospects, with ABS the leading classification society of choice for FPSO conversions for offshore Brazil, says João Carlos Pacheco, ABS Brazil country manager.

"As an ABS representative in South America for nearly 20 years of ABS’ 50-year plus history in the region, I continue to be impressed by how Petrobras, and industry participating in offshore Brazil, adapts to changing needs. Brazil is on the forefront of offshore technology and, especially, deepwater technology. ABS is proud to be a part of this frontier development and technology advancement," says Pacheco.

By 2005, more than half of Brazil’s oil production will come from ultra-deep waters, requiring an incredible investment in infrastructure and involving untold risks, advises Pacheco.

"That has not stopped Petrobras; nor does it inhibit the international oil and gas companies which come to Brazil to help develop its rich offshore fields," he says.

Elements of change and technology growth, says Pacheco, include the approach that is taken on projects:

• More in-depth, up-front engineering work and review of designs;

• Greater attention to risk and probabilistic studies for safety, viability and practicality of a design;

• More demand for inspection services that are calibrated to the installation

and areas of special interest; and

• Greater recognition for the role that classification can have for facilitating the

safety and integrity of an installation.

"These are the tools that help put a project together solidly and successfully, making a unit fit for its intended purpose," says Pacheco.

He advises that ABS is presently assisting the industry with the classification of five major FPSO conversion projects destined for offshore Brazil. The projects include the FPSO Brasil, the Petrobras 43, Petrobras 48, Petrobras 50, and the Fluminense. Each converted FPSO is an ABS-classed XA1 Floating Production Storage and Offloading Unit. And while the FPSO Brasil is the first FPSO to which the SafeHull Converted Ship Notation has been awarded, all of these converted FPSO units incorporate SafeHull technology.

"ABS’ SafeHull technology is the most advanced design and analysis tool for vessel structure classification available to industry today," says Pacheco.

He adds that the recently enhanced capabilities of SafeHull for FPSOs will assess the vessels for the relatively benign, site-specific conditions in Campos Basin. Using SafeHull, he explains, a 25-year-old tanker can be evaluated to the same extent as a new-build vessel.

• Review and approval of the FPSO design for compliance with ABS Rules
• Survey of fabrication components in the field to facilitate compliance with ABS Rules
• Survey of the offshore hook-up and commissioning to ready for first oil

A fully classed unit includes oversight of the:

• Hull structure
• Mooring systems and foundations
• All marine, production, utility and safety systems

ABS also can certify the subsea components, including risers, flowlines and umbilicals. With regard to these five conversions, the Brasil and Fluminense will incorporate a turret mooring system. The P43, P48 and P50 will have a DICAS (Differentiated Compliant Anchoring System) spread mooring system, developed by the Petrobras Research Center (CENPES).

The Brasil is the first scheduled for delivery, with installation in the Campos Basin expected to commence in September 2002. First oil is slated later this year.

"One of the biggest class challenges with this project has been the short conversion timeframe of 17 months from project start in June 2001 to first oil in October 2002. ABS experienced additional challenges due to the project’s worldwide spread of activities," said Pacheco.

ABS’ London office completed analysis on the Brasil conversion, gaining valuable experience executing a full SafeHull assessment necessary for assignment of the SH (CS) notation.

Owned and operated by SBM for Petrobras, the FPSO Brasil will have a design capacity of 90,000 barrels of oil per day, with five of the six wells previously operating with the P36 planned for tie-in.

The P43, P48 and P50 are key projects for the Brazilian energy giant. The FPSOs P43 and the P48 are each capable of storing 1 million barrels of oil and processing 150,000 barrels/day of crude oil. For conversion of the P48, Petrobras used the ABS-classed VLCC Stena Concordia. Petrobras used the sister vessel, Stena Continent, also ABS-classed, for the P43.

Petrobras will use the ABS-classed VLCC Felipe Camarão for the P50 conversion. The unit is planned for the Campos Basin deepwater Albacora Leste Field, with production from the 180,000 barrels/day FPSO scheduled to begin in 2004. This field is a significant contributor to Brazil’s total oil output, which in May reached 1.53 million barrels per day.

Unlike previous conversions, for the P50, Petrobras, has awarded contracts for the various modules of the production facilities and accommodations to different suppliers. Main contractor, Jurong Shipyard, will assemble the modules to complete the conversion.

"This approach presents management challenges for the unit’s classification; however, working with clients on fast-track fabrication and installation schedules with various contractors and vendors is nothing new to ABS. As the leader in offshore classification, and with decades of in-country experience, we’re accustomed to supporting the timely start-ups of these complex logistical projects," said Pacheco.

Finally, the Sahara—one of the 15 largest tankers in the world with an oil storage capacity of 1.3 million barrels —is being used for the Fluminense FPSO conversion. MODEC International is the owner/operator for this unit, which is due for delivery first quarter 2003. Also destined for Campos Basin, the Fluminense will serve as the hub for the Bijupira and Salema Fields.