Vallourec strengthens Aramco partnership, launches Brazil insulation manufacturing project

Vallourec has expanded its presence in two key offshore energy markets, signing a new agreement with Aramco in Saudi Arabia while breaking ground on a Brazilian facility that will manufacture advanced insulation systems for deepwater pipeline projects.

Jeremy Beckman

Ariana Hurtado

Related To:

Vallourec

Sept. 11, 2026

2 min read

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Why this news matters:

Vallourec is deepening its role in two major offshore growth regions, supporting Saudi Arabia's drilling and unconventional resource ambitions while investing in technologies aimed at increasingly demanding deepwater developments in Brazil and beyond.
The Brazil project will support ExxonMobil's Longtail and Hammerhead developments offshore Guyana and could help expand the availability of advanced thermal insulation solutions for future subsea pipeline projects across Latin America.

OCTG pipe inventory at a Vallourec facility — Vallourec recently expanded its relationship with Aramco and advanced new manufacturing investments supporting offshore energy projects.

Vallourec has announced two initiatives aimed at strengthening its position in global offshore energy markets: a new agreement with Aramco to expand collaboration in Saudi Arabia and the start of construction on a Brazilian manufacturing facility that will produce advanced thermal insulation systems for subsea pipelines.

Together, the announcements highlight Vallourec's strategy of expanding local manufacturing capabilities while supporting major offshore developments in key growth markets.

Vallourec breaks ground on linepipe insulation production site in Brazil

Vallourec has started construction of a new production line at its Serra plant in Espírito Santo State, Brazil.

This will exclusively manufacture Proxxima resin systems with Goldilocks subsea thermal insulation technology (GDLX) technology.

ExxonMobil has licensed the technology, which will be featured in thermal insulated line pipes for the deepwater Longtail and Hammerhead projects offshore Guyana. These are the largest line pipe orders Vallourec has booked to date.

The projects are part of the growing offshore Guyana development portfolio, one of the world's most active deepwater oil and gas regions. But the technology will also be available to support increasingly complex offshore projects in Brazil and internationally, the company said.

Proxxima resin systems incorporating GDLX are said to deliver better thermal performance, extended cool-down time and faster application of insulation compared with conventional formulations.

Thermal insulation systems help maintain flow assurance in subsea pipelines by preserving fluid temperatures, reducing the risk of hydrate and wax formation during transportation from offshore fields to processing facilities.

Vallourec and Aramco signed an agreement aimed at strengthening their relationship — Representatives from Saudi Arabia and France gather during the French-Saudi Investment Roundtable Meeting in Paris, where Vallourec and Aramco signed an agreement aimed at strengthening their commercial, industrial and technological relationship.

Vallourec deepens Saudi manufacturing and OCTG partnership with Aramco

Vallourec has signed an agreement with Aramco to further strengthen the companies' commercial, industrial and technological relationship, reinforcing a partnership that began in 1962 with the supply of VAM premium connections for oil country tubular goods (OCTG).

The agreement was signed during the French-Saudi Investment Roundtable Meeting in Paris. According to Vallourec, the partnership has expanded significantly over the years, including the establishment of Vallourec Saudi Arabia in 2011 and the opening of a Dammam facility that performs heat treatment and threading of premium VAM connections locally.

In 2022, Vallourec signed a long-term agreement with Aramco to supply locally manufactured premium OCTG pipe, and in 2023 the company received an Aramco Local Manufacturers Quality Excellence Award for improved quality performance.

Vallourec said it continues to invest in Saudi Arabia through research and development programs and initiatives aimed at expanding local manufacturing capacity, including products required for the Kingdom's unconventional resource developments.

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About the Author

Jeremy Beckman

Staff Writer / Editor, Europe

Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.

Ariana Hurtado

Editor-in-Chief

With more than a decade of copy editing, project management and journalism experience, Ariana Hurtado is a seasoned managing editor born and raised in the energy capital of the world—Houston, Texas. She currently serves as editor-in-chief of Offshore, overseeing the editorial team, its content and the brand's growth from a digital perspective.

Utilizing her editorial expertise, she manages digital media for the Offshore team. She also helps create and oversee new special industry reports and revolutionizes existing supplements, while also contributing content to Offshore's magazine, newsletters and website as a copy editor and writer.

Prior to her current role, she served as Offshore's editor and director of special reports from April 2022 to December 2024. Before joining Offshore, she served as senior managing editor of publications with Hart Energy. Prior to her nearly nine years with Hart, she worked on the copy desk as a news editor at the Houston Chronicle.

She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Houston.