MODEC awarded Gato do Mato FPSO, commissions Drydocks World for Baobab FPSO upgrades

Shell has signed a purchase and sales agreement with MODEC for a newbuild FPSO for the Gato do Mato field development in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil.

It follows completion by MODEC of the FEED contract, awarded last March. In addition, the company will operate and maintain the platform for Shell for 20 years following startup.

FPSO Gato do Mato, designed to produce 120,000 bbl/d of oil and associated gas and water, will be spread moored in about 2,000 m of water, 200 km south of Rio de Janeiro.

MODEC will perform the design of the hull and all related topsides facilities, with SOFEC responsible for the mooring system. Produced, stabilized crude stored in onboard tanks will be offloaded to shuttle tankers to go to market.

The Next Generation hull, an in-house MODEC concept, will be engineered for a 25-year lifespan.

Gato do Mato will be the company’s 19th FPSO for the Brazilian sector and its second for a Shell project offshore Brazil.

FPSO refurbishment and life extension contract

In Dubai, MODEC Management Services has contracted Drydocks World for the refurbishment and life extension of the FPSO Baobab Ivorien, recently disconnected from the CNR-operated Baobab oil field 25 km offshore Côte d'Ivoire.

The eight-month program, due to start in May 2025, is designed to extend the vessel’s lifespan at the field by a further 15 years.

It will include 1,000 metric tonnes of steel structure renewals, 250,000 sq m of tank coating, 11,500 m of new piping, enhancements to the living quarters, and integration of technologies to improve the FPSO’s efficiency and reliability.

The FPSO can process 70,000 bbl/d of oil and 75 MMcf/d of natural gas, with facilities to inject 100,000 bbl/d of water and storage for up to 2 MMbbl of crude oil.

The vessel, which was converted from an ultra-large crude carrier in 2003, was designed at the time for future expansion of the topsides to maximize offshore production.