TechnipFMC lands Petrobras’ subsea job offshore Brazil

TechnipFMC has secured a subsea contract from Petrobras for the supply of manifolds for the Marlim and Voador fields, located offshore Brazil.

TechnipFMC will supply up to eight manifolds for production and injection, utilizing the all-electric Robotic Valve Controller (RVC).

The contract, worth between $75 million and $250 million, also includes associated tools, spares and services, according to TechnipFMC.

The RVC is a robotic technology that replaces traditional subsea hydraulics, as well as thousands of mechanical parts, while providing real-time data and analysis on system performance.

This results in a manifold that is smaller, less complex and less costly with a significantly reduced carbon footprint, TechnipFMC claims.

Moreover, the RVC’s software can be remotely upgraded and maintained subsea, increasing the overall reliability and availability of the subsea system.

Jonathan Landes, president in charge of subsea at TechnipFMC, said: “We look forward to executing this project using our local capabilities in Brazil and contributing to another important development in the country.

“We are very excited to bring new technology and automation capabilities to this project through the use of the RVC to operate the manifolds. Our innovations in automation and electrification are helping our clients lower their operational expenditures and reduce the carbon intensity of their subsea projects”.

As reported earlier, Brazilian oil major Petrobras launched in November 2020 an opportunity disclosure stage (teaser) for the sale of its 50% stake in the Marlim Cluster in the Campos Basin.

The Marlim and Voador fields occupy an area of 339.3 square kilometres and are located in deep waters, some 150 kilometres from the northern coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

The two fields share the production infrastructure and, between January and October 2020, produced an average of 68,900 barrels of oil per day and 934,000 cbm of gas per day.

The upcoming revitalization project at Marlim and Vorador involves the replacement of all existing platforms with two new FPSOs. First oil from the revitalization is estimated for 2023, with a plateau expected by 2025.