ABS to class Singaporean shipbuilder’s FPSO pair destined for Brazil

Singapore-headquartered Seatrium has handed out a classification contract to the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for two newbuild floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessels the former is building for Brazilian state-owned oil and gas giant Petrobras.

According to Seatrium, P-84 and P-85 are the first FPSOs to be awarded this type of contract following its technology collaboration agreement (TCA) with ABS, which aims to promote increased decarbonization, digitalization, and innovation in the offshore industry. The vessel duo is set to work at the Atapu and Sépia fields offshore Brazil as part of their second development phase rubber-stamped by the Brazilian giant in late May.

Seatrium’s CEO, Chris Ong, noted: “This latest collaboration is part of Seatrium’s strategy to complement our product offerings with end-to-end digital solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers globally. We look forward to working with ABS to leverage digital technology to develop innovative solutions that will help our customers optimize their operations, reduce environmental impact and drive long-term sustainable growth.”

Petrobras handed out two newbuild contracts to Seatrium in May. Scheduled for delivery in 2029, the FPSOs are expected to have a production capacity of 225,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and a gas processing capacity of 10 million cubic meters per day (Sm3 /d) each. China’s CIMC Raffles was selected to deliver the hulls.

The Singaporean firm noted that technologies aiming to enhance operational efficiency and reduce environmental impact will be incorporated in both FPSOs, focusing on efficient power generation and increased energy efficiency to achieve a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity.

“This is an exciting moment for the industry, and we are delighted to work with Seatrium on brand-new, state-of-the-art designs. The industry is going through tremendous change, and we are in a challenging market with limited supply and increasing demand for capacity. These new units are much needed assets that will be ready to meet the demand, support the energy transition and incorporate digitalization,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman and CEO.

Furthermore, Seatrium and ABS intend to collaborate on digital solutions across the offshore, marine, and energy sectors, as well as perform joint trials and deploy 5G-based remote inspection solutions for EPC and repairs and upgrade projects to transform operational processes and enhance efficiency across Seatrium’s global operations.

The Singapore-based firm recently won several new repair and upgrade deals for offshore vessels with an aggregate value of around $133.8 million. The contracts include a range of assignments on offshore vessels, naval ships, ferries, LNG carriers, tankers, as well as damage repair gigs, with multiple companies.

Meanwhile, ABS teamed up with the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO) to work on advancing commercial small modular reactor (SMR)-powered ships and floating SMR power generation platforms. Within the partnership, the U.S. firm will analyze applicable regulatory guidelines and international standards for the design of these nuclear-powered ships, while KRISO will develop core technologies for them.