Representatives of Petrobras said in an online interview that the state-owned company will follow what is in the LEI and that interests are focused on price, quality and safety. Brazilian naval construction will carry out only 25% of the works
The main shipyards in Brazil were counting on Petrobras' solidarity in recent times. The state's announcement for charter 3 FPSO platform vessels (Floating storage and transfer unit) for the gigantic Buzios Field, in the pre-salt of the Santos Basin, left national shipbuilding on alert, along with the hope that these works would be carried out in the country, generating jobs and reheating the economy of this sector. But it looks like it wasn't this time.
There was an online interview with two representatives of Petrobras last September (31): Carlos Alberto de Oliveira, director of E&P and Roberto Castello Branco, current president of the state-owned company.
Oliveira said that he will follow what is in the law, that is, the obligation to comply with at least 25% of national local content, which is usually just module assemblies, topsides, hulls and other small modular services. The biggest part, around 75%, will be abroad. (Asian amateurs, naturally).
Castello Branco said in that same interview that Petrobras must work on three fundamental aspects: price, quality and safety.
Building in Asian shipyards is cheap in the short term
Brazilian shipbuilding is a reference in technical quality and safety in the execution of works on FPSO-type platform ships and other units destined for the offshore / maritime segment. The main barrier that this sector faces at the moment is related to production costs.
Building in shipyards in China, Singapore, South Korea and other Asian countries is cheap, as there are almost no labor rights. The Brazilian currency (REAL) is very devalued, emphasizing that oil is a commodity, so almost everything that is traded in this market is in commercial dollars (USD).
We have the issue of Brazilian tax regulation, which is one of the major impediments for large-scale works and projects to be carried out more vigorously here.
Do you know where the largest oil field in deep waters in the world is located? Campo de Búzios is located in Brazil and already accounts for more than 20% of our production. Check out: https://t.co/aGuXodI0tR #EnergyToTransform#TogetherOurEnergyStayStronger pic.twitter.com/Acph1jK56C
— Petrobras (@petrobras) July 29, 2020
Summary of the methodology that Petrobras uses to hire or charter FPSO-type platform vessels
In the words of Oliveira in this same interview, he gave a three-stage summary of how the platform contracting process works, until construction actually begins:
- Petrobras uses a pre-qualification system for companies and chooses those with technical expertise to participate in FPSO bids
- Then, there will be a competitive process regarding the contracting of own units
- At this point, the winning companies have the autonomy to decide in which shipyards they want to build, as long as 25% of these works are done in Brazil, which is local content.
There are 6 FPSOs being built offshore right now:
- FPSO Carioca - China
- FPSO Guanabara - China.
- FPSO Almirante Barroso - China
- FPSO Anitta Garibaldi - China
- FPSO Anna Nery – Malaysia
- FPSO Sepetiba - China
For more technical details on the construction of these units, companies involved and respective shipyards, access the Petronews here.
Executive Director of Production Development, Rudimar Andreis Lorenzatto explains that he works in a scenario where the current pandemic will not disrupt the progress of these three projects for the Búzios field: “As we have a process that is starting now and we will only sign these contracts in 2021, we hope that the effect of the Covid-19 for the construction of these three FPSOs has already passed”
