240 km off the coast, Brazilians working on the FPSO Cidade de Itaguaí reveal everything that happens aboard this offshore unit
[supsystic-social-sharing id='1′]In an offshore unit that extracts around 150 thousand barrels of oil and more than 8 million m³ daily with depths that easily exceed 7 km in the Brazilian pre-salt in the Santos Basin, are statistics that are part of the lives of more than 100 professionals on board the FPSO Cidade de Itaguaí, which leads us to the following question: What do you have to do when your shift ends in such a remote and confined place?
It turns out that this unit was a ship carrying oil and ended up being adapted for its FPSO (Floating Storage and Offloading Unit). It is incredible 300 meters long, which allows the installation of restaurants, houses, smoking areas, TV rooms, gym and games rooms and other spaces that do not need PPE.
To minimize the lack of contact with the family and the external environment, most of these platforms nowadays have free Wifi and telephone, with a daily limit of 15 minutes. Luiz Grady, who is a Chemical Engineer at Petrobras, uses talbet to kill his family's longing on land, after which he plays video games with his companions on board and talks about other things, especially football.
“The climate is very homely and it has to be, right? We create a lot of friendship on board, because we spend half of our life here”, says he, who has been working on board for eight years and also takes advantage of the internet to, from time to time, find out the return on his investments.
barbecue and parties
For those who are Brazilian, it is common to have a barbecue, especially on Sundays to socialize, isn't it true? There is also this type of activity on the platform, but the beer has to be non-alcoholic. In addition, there are also pizza rotations and evangelical services on this day, the pastors are scaffolding assemblers. Every 15 days there is a celebration of birthdays in the month with everything you are entitled to.
Bruna Pacheco, is an employee of MODEC and her role is production operator, who is one of the few women on board. She says that her work is hard, but she likes what she does: “I am from Macaé and I always saw my father work offshore. Already in high school, I always had this reference, I always wanted to work in this area”, says she, who believes that work on the high seas is not for everyone. “It's a bit adventurous and hostile if you think about the risks. There is also the distance from the family, the confinement”.
She reports that she really enjoys going to the gym, watching movies, doing and reading about religious activities. Even though I'm pushing myself physically, I relax at the gym.”
Lucas Azevedo, Safety Technician at Modec, says he has been sailing for 3 years and has gained a lot of weight due to the availability of food 24 hours a day. “Here we eat a lot. If you don't go to the gym, you're dead”, he jokes. For him, the great difficulty is the passage of commemorative dates, such as Christmas and New Year. “The supper here is very good, with shrimp, lobster. I've never eaten so well. Even so, it's the worst part. I miss my mom and my brothers a lot, especially on my birthday.”
Living with gringos on the FPSO
Lucas who is a resident of Nova Friburgo-RJ, says that the lack of English prevented him from getting an offshore job, but he overcame this difficulty in the following way: “In 2014, I decided that I would dedicate myself to this, I took all my reservations and went to Canada. I spent eight months studying English and, right when I got back, I got the job,” he says. His direct boss on the platform is a South African, with whom Lucas only speaks in English, often translating instructions for other employees.
85% of the employees on board are Brazilians, the rest are foreigners. A true mix of people and cultures from different backgrounds based on the English language as an exchange. There are people from Poland, Ukraine, Singapore, Italy, India and the Philippines. “The exchange of cultures here is very big. To work here, you have to learn to respect things that are not our custom”. says Lucas.
Osvaldo Kawakami, who is the Petrobras Production Manager aboard the FPSO Cidade de Itaguaí, says that in the 80s he never dreamed of having these amenities that they have today and his rest hours were spent playing cards or fishing. “If I were to compare, before it was a one-star hotel, and today it's a five-star hotel,” he says. “There were no restrictions on fishing, and what we did was fish, play cards, checkers, chess. Today, they play video games. The workers' routine has changed a lot. We used to play a lot of cards, foosball, pool. The whole anguish was knowing how the world was doing, how the family was doing,” he says, who also remembers the feeling of a silent night on the high seas. “The feeling of calm and tranquility is absurd. I always say that nowhere in the world have I seen a sunset or a sunrise like that from a platform.”
