Edison Chouest invests in offshore base in Brazil (VIDEO)

Brazil’s Prumo has signed a rental agreement with the US company Edison Chouest, which is going to build an offshore logistics support base and ship repair yard for its own vessels at Açu Port.

Edison Chouest invests in offshore base in Brazil ACU

Able to receive up to 12 vessels and serving the current clients of Edison Chouest, the base will be constructed at T2 (the venture’s onshore terminal), which has a 13 km wharfline and 10m draught and which serves the oil and gas sector.

“We are embarking upon a new stage at Açu Port, with the pace of the works being resumed, favorable financing conditions secured and a new management team at the helm. Plants are already in operation and vessels are forecast to begin using the T2 channel in the coming months. Edison Chouest’s arrival will contribute to an acceleration in the occupation of the landside yard near T2 channel. An offshore support base of the size that Chouest is going to build will represent an important anchor which will attract the entire chain of marine goods and services for the oil exploration industry to set up at Açu Port. This agreement reinforces our clients’ confidence and the importance of the venture to the oil and gas sector,” said Eduardo Parente, Prumo CEO.

Gary Chouest, the CEO of Edison Chouest Offshore, said Açu has the best conditions for constructing offshore bases in Brazil. “In addition to its strategic location near Campos Basin and its excellent draught, Açu Port is ready and has an area available in the surroundings, which makes it possible to expand our plant and bring in a chain of suppliers. These qualities as a whole were fundamental to our choice.”

Edison Chouest has signed an agreement to rent an area of 255,200 m2 for the period of 15 years, renewable for 3 more periods of 5 years. The 440 meter wharfline can house up to 12 berths. The company can also increase its wharfline by 220 meters within 12 months and a further 220 meters within 18 months, being able to double its capacity and achieve a wharfline of 880 meters, able to house 18 vessels, and an area of up to 510,400 m2.

“The construction of this base at Açu Port is essential for the expansion plans of Edison Chouest in Brazil. It will enable us to serve our existing clients, but also to expand to serve new contracts that are in negotiation,” said Ricardo Chagas, an officer of Edison Chouest.

R$ 950 million (USD 425 million) is forecast to be invested in developing the plant, which is set to begin operating at the start of 2015. A total of 900 jobs will be created at the base.

About Edison Chouest
Founded as Edison Chouest Boat Rental in Galliano, Louisiana, in 1960, the Edison Chouest Offshore companies (ECO) are recognized today as the most diverse and dynamic marine transportation solution providers in the world. ECO operates a growing fleet of over 230 vessels, ranging from 87 to over 360 feet in length, serving an expanding global customer base.

Staying on the forefront of new technologies is an integral part of the Chouest business plan, as evidenced by recent advances in the areas of subsea support, integrated bridge systems and global communications.

The ability to design, build, own and operate diverse, high-capacity and technologically superior vessels has made ECO an unrivaled leader in the maritime industry.

In Brazil Edison Chouest has 70 offshore marine support vessels operating for Petrobras, Shell, Queiroz Galvão, Total, Repsol and Statoil, 10 ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) and a shipyard in Navegantes (SC), which builds 6 vessels a year.

Açu Port
With 17 km of piers which can moor up to 47 vessels simultaneously, Açu Port is being constructed in São João da Barra, in northern Rio de Janeiro. Occupying 90 km² the venture is comprised of Terminal 1 (T1 – offshore) and Terminal 2 (T2 – onshore), which has received investment of R$ 5.2 billion.

T1 will consist of a 3-km access bridge, a tugboat pier, 9 oil and iron-ore piers, approach channel and turning basin. Of these, 2 iron ore piers, the tugboat pier, approach channel and turning basin are now ready. The 1st shipment of iron ore at Açu Port is scheduled for the second half of this year.

T2 is being built around a 6.5 km long, 300 meter wide approach channel with a current depth of 8.5 meters (reaching 10 meters). Works are taking place on the site for the construction of the approach channel, turning basin, construction of the concrete blocks to be used in the breakwater and implementation of the transmission line. With a wharf line of over 13 km, T2 will handle pig iron, coal, vehicles, liquid and solid bulk, general cargo and oil.

With unique features, such as great depth, a strategic location and efficient infrastructure, Açu Port is the main solution for oil and gas companies to locate. Facilities can be installed at the Port to handle and treat oil, provide support to offshore E&P operations and to house a metalworking cluster dedicated to the oil and gas industry.

Açu Port is forecast to come into operation in June this year.

[mappress]
Press Release, April 15, 2014