Sad news for shipbuilding in Brazil, to lower the charter price, Petrobras gives up work in Brazil and Mero 3 FPSO is without local content

According to information from the PetróleoHoje website, during the period in which Petrobras was negotiating the construction of the Mero 3 FPSO with Misc, from Malaysia, the state-owned company gave up local content in the works to lower the final price of the contract, which to date has not been signed. Recently, the state-owned company announced that it will contract Búzios FPSOs 7 and 8 in the EPC model, that is, as its own units.

As a result, shipbuilding in Brazil “is watching ships” and the Mero 3 FPSO runs the risk of being completely built abroad. Petrobras declared that it does not comment on contracting processes still in progress.

The companies concluded negotiations, with an offer from Misc for a daily rate of US$700 that beat SBM's offer. The first oil from the Mero 3 FPSO is scheduled for 2023, but may be postponed in view of the current crisis in the oil sector caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the world.

The contract was scheduled to be signed by the beginning of this month, if it comes to fruition, it will be the first operating contract to be signed by MISC in Brazil. The company belongs to the Petronas group and has a stake in the FPSO Espírito Santo, operated by SBM.

Third Petrobras FPSO

Petrobras' Mero 3 FPSO will be added to the FPSO Guanabara, which is being converted in Asia by Modec, has its first oil scheduled for 2021 and will be added to the FPSO Sepetiba, which is being built by SBM and which will enter into operation in 2022.

The Mero 3 FPSO charter contract will run for 21 years and will have the capacity to produce 180 bopd, compress 12 million m³/d of gas and inject 250 m³/d of gas, specifications identical to the other two to be installed field

Check out news and jobs in shipbuilding

• Seven thousand jobs are at stake with the closure of the operations of the oil multinational TechnipFMC in Espírito Santo
• Petrobras earned US$37,6 million with the sale of the Dó-Ré-Mi onshore oil field, in the Sergipe lagoon, to Centro Oeste Oil and Gas
• Modec resume register with many offshore and onshore vacancies to work on oil and gas contracts in Brazil, China, Singapore and Mexico

Currently, Petrobras has six platforms under construction in Asian shipyards: the FPSOs Guanabara and Sepetiba, which will be installed in Mero 1 and Mero 2, respectively; Carioca (Sepia); Almirante Barroso (Búzios 5); Anita Garibaldi (Marlin 1) and Anna Nery (Marlin 2).

Among these units, the Guanabara, Sepetiba, Carioca and Almirante Barroso had part of their modules ordered from shipyards in Brazil, such as the EBR, in São José do Norte (RS), and Brasfels, in Angra dos Reis (RJ).

In addition to Mero 3, the state-owned company is currently conducting tenders to charter the Mero 4 and Itapu FPSOs if the P-71 is, in fact, used in the project, instead of being installed in the Lula Fator de Recuperação (FR) field.

por- PetróleoToday