MODEC has completed the forward hull section of floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Gato do Mato, marking a key construction milestone for the Brazil-bound offshore production unit.
The forward hull section, built at Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering's Yokosuka shipyard in Japan, has departed for China, where it will be integrated with the aft hull section before the vessel moves to the next stage of construction.
The project is the first to use MODEC's Next Generation Hull (NGH) design and the first FPSO hull to be built in partnership with Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering under the company's multi-yard construction model, which allows parallel fabrication of hull sections.
The FPSO will have an oil production capacity of about 120,000 barrels per day and will operate in water depths of around 2,000 meters approximately 200 km south of Rio de Janeiro.
MODEC said the unit will be the 19th FPSO or floating storage unit it has developed for Brazil and the second to be delivered directly to Shell. It will operate in the Orca field.
Orca is being developed by a partnership between Shell, which acts as operator, and Ecopetrol, with PPSA participating as the Production Sharing Contract manager.
“This milestone is more than the completion of a major hull section. It demonstrates how innovation and collaboration are shaping the future of FPSO delivery.
“By partnering with SHI-ME on FPSO hull construction for the first time and adopting a multi-yard construction model, we are pioneering a new approach to hull fabrication that expands execution flexibility and strengthens our global delivery capabilities,” said Soichi Ide, Head of Floating Production Solutions Business Unit at MODEC.