Aker Solutions awarded contracts for mooring and loading systems off Brazil

Offshore staff

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Aker Solutions has won two contracts for the supply of mooring and loading systems in Brazil. The contracts have a combined value of approximately NOK 210 million (US $35 million).

"The contracts are strategically important for Aker Solutions based on the potential for future business in Brazil,”says Leif Haukom, president of Aker Solutions' mooring and loading systems business.“Aker Solutions is targeting the Brazilian market with a wide range of offshore technologies and is expanding the local lifecycle service organization in parallel with making new sales.”

The first contract is with Petrobras and consists of movablePusneschain jack mooring systems and hull-mountedPusnesfairleads for the spread-moored FPSOs P58 and P62. The units will produce oil at theNorte do Parque das Baleiasand Roncador fields, respectively, and the FPSOs will be moored in water depths between 1,400 m (4,593 ft) and 1,600 m (5,249 ft).

The main task of the chain jack system is to pull the mooring chain through the fairleads to the main deck of the FPSOs and perform top tensioning of the mooring lines. The top chain is then secured to the deck using chain stoppers.

The second contract is for an FPSO to Petrobras for operating in the Tiro and Sidon fields offshore Brazil.This is a spread-moored FPSO and will use the Pusnes offloading system at both aft and bow. The two offloading systemsinclude both tanker mooring and crude oil transfer components. Crude oil from the FPSO will be loaded onto dedicated dynamic-positioned shuttle tankers.

Delivery of the mooringand offloading systemswill take place in 2011.

"Aker Solutions' loading systems have attained a unique position in Brazil. We have recently signed newbuilding contracts at Samsung for seven Pusnes bow loading systemsfor various clients, and will within 2012 have 25 systems in operation in Brazilian waters," Haukom said.

11/22/2010