North Sea veteran set for new lease of life in the land of samba

Floating, production, storage, and offloading units, better known as FPSOs, are built to do just that, float on water, produce oil from below the seabed, store it, and eventually, offload it to a shuttle tanker.

The 29 years old Petrojarl I is one such unit. After having spent most of its life across several different fields in the North Sea, both in Norway and UK, one would think it is time to call it quits. However, Teekay Offshore, the owner of the Petrojarl I FPSO, has other plans.

Namely, the company has reached a 5-year charter deal with the Brazilian operator QGEP to redeploy the Petrojarl I to the Southern hemisphere, at the Atlanta field, in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil.

Once there, the vessel will be moored 185 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, where it will be connected to the field situated at a water depth of 1550 meters and start pumping oil. The Atlanta field reserves are estimated at 260 million barrels of oil equivalent.

However, it is not as simple as just moving the vessel from one side of the Atlantic to the other (as if this is at all simple). Petrojarl I needs to freshen up a bit (more than a bit actually) prior to its departure to the land of samba.

Dutch company Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam is responsible for the FPSO revamp, providing Petrojarl I with hull reinforcements, steel renewal work, paint work, topsides modifications and basically extending its life.

The FPSO has been at the Rotterdam yard since early 2015. The $180 million worth upgrades, together with mild climate conditions in Brazil, are expected to extend the Petrojarl I life by 15 more years.

According to Teekay, the conversion of Petrojarl I has so far reached 50% of physical progress, and hull reinforcements. Steel renewal work is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter. Once completed, the 215 meters long North Sea veteran, will embark on a long journey across the Big Pond.

Data found on Teekay’s website shows that the facelifted Petrojarl I should reach Brazil next year, with first oil scheduled to start flowing in mid-2016.

Offshore Energy Today Staff