The forward hull section for Shell’s Gato do Mato FPSO has been completed at Sumitomo Heavy Industries’ (SHI-ME) Yokosuka shipyard in Japan.
FPSO supplier MODEC said the structure was now sailing to China, for integration with the aft hull section currently under construction. Use of multiple yards enables parallel fabrication, makes best use of yard capacity and improves project execution, MODEC added.
Soichi Ide, head of the company’s Floating Production Solutions Business Unit, said: “By partnering with SHI-ME on FPSO hull construction for the first time and adopting a multi-yard construction model, we are pioneering a new approach to hull fabrication that expands execution flexibility and strengthens our global delivery capabilities.”
Gato do Mato is the first FPSO to feature the company’s Next Generation Hull (NGH) design. It will be stationed at the Orca field in 2,000 m of water,200 km south of Rio de Janeiro, using a SOFEC spread mooring system.
The 120,000 b/d capacity FPSO, the 19th FPSO/FSO developed by MODEC for operations offshore Brazil, will also be the second delivered directly for operation at Orc.
About the Author
Jeremy Beckman
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.