Prosafe FPSO conversion

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) has awarded Stavanger-based Prosafe a charter contract for the supply and operation of a gas FPSO to operate offshore Brazil. The firm period of the contract is nine years, followed by a maximum of six one-year options.

Prosafe will be responsible for the engineering, procurement, construction, installation, commissioning and operation of the FPSO which is expected to be arriving in the field in the fourth quarter of 2008.

The vessel will be designed for a water depth of maximum 1,500 meters and will have a spread mooring arrangement. The conversion will be based on a VLCC sized vessel currently owned by Prosafe, and will have a gas compression capacity of 353,000 mmscfd and a process facility of 35,000 bfpd. The oil storage capacity will be 700,000 barrels.

The award is the fourth FPSO conversion project that Prosafe has secured in less than 15 months. These four contracts, including option periods, have increased the order backlog to more than $2.5 billion.