The first steel cutting ceremony was held last week at the BOMESC yard in China for the topside of an FPSO to be deployed at the Equinor-operated Bacalhau oil field off Brazil.
The Bacalhau FPSO will be deployed to develop the first phase of the Bacalhau field in Brazil's pre-salt Santos Basin.
To be supplied by Japan's MODEC, it will operate on blocks BM-S-8 and North Carcara in Brazil's Santos Basin and will be one of the largest FPSOs in Brazilian waters in terms of production and reserves.
The Bacalhau FPSO will be 364 meters long, 64 meters wide, and 33 meters deep, with a designed draft of 22.65 meters. It will be able to withstand the once-in-a-century environmental conditions in Brazil's waters.
The steel cutting ceremony was held on June 1, the same day Equinor and its partners announced the final investment decision for the $8 billion offshore development.
MODEC has a contract in hand for Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Installation (EPCI) for the FPSO.
The Japanese company will also provide Equinor with operations and maintenance service of the FPSO for the first year from its first oil production, after which Equinor plans to operate the FPSO until the end of the license period in 2053. First oil production is planned for 2024.
The FPSO vessel will be permanently moored at a water depth of approximately 2,050 meters by a spread mooring system to be supplied by MODEC group company, SOFEC, Inc.
Credit: Equinor
