How far has the upgrade work for Enauta’s Brazil-bound FPSO come?

Malaysia’s FPSO operator Yinson has shared an update on the developments regarding the conversion and upgrade of a floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which will operate for Enauta offshore Brazil.

Back in January 2022, Enauta entered into an agreement to purchase the FPSO OSX-2 for the Definitive System (DS) of the Atlanta field and this purchase deal was closed in February. This vessel was converted in 2013 under ABS Class to operate in the Waimea field in Brazil but it never started operations.

The Brazilian oil and gas player also inked a firm contract with Yinson for the conversion of the existing production unit, so that the FPSO would be used for Atlanta’s Full Development System (FDS) – approved in February 2022 – under the same terms as specified within the Letter of Intent (LoI) from December 2021.

In May 2022, Yinson hired Drydocks World Dubai for the conversion, life extension services, and refurbishment of the FPSO Atlanta. The upgraded FPSO is expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2023 to Enauta. After the conversion, the FPSO will be operated under ABS Class and it will be deployed at the Atlanta field.

In its recent update, Yinson revealed that it had completed a detailed inspection of marine and topside systems for the FPSO Atlanta, with over 3.5 km of pipe replacement, over 300 valve refurbishments, several hundred tons of steel replacement, and all hull and utility tanks blasted and painted. In addition, the firm claims that major and minor marine equipment has been inspected.

Furthermore, Yinson says that the topsides are being modified to meet the Atlanta field requirements, with major modifications to the process modules and the demolition of redundant equipment. According to the company, preparations are underway for the installation of new topside process and power modules, which are targeted to arrive in April 2023.

“The FPSO was drydocked in October 2022 for a 12-day period to renew the bottom plates, sea chests, and phase 1 of the propulsion system. Bend stiffeners, chain stoppers, bilge keels, chains, anchors, lockers, turret, and sea water suction penetrations were also inspected and removed. The second drydock is scheduled for May 2023, with the main scope being the hull painting,” explained Yinson in its statement.

Watch snippets regarding FPSO Atlanta upgrade work

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Moreover, the FPSO is anticipated to be fully operational by 2024 and support Yinson’s goal of producing up to 50,000 barrels of oil per day from the Atlanta field, which has been producing since 2018 through an Early Production System (EPS), encompassing three wells connected to the FPSO Petrojarl I.

Following a recent recertification, this FPSO is expected to continue operating on the field until the entry of the Full Development System (FDS), which is expected by mid-2024, originally with six wells, reaching ten wells in 2029. 

With estimated reserves of 106 MMbbl, the Atlanta field is located in block BS-4 in the Santos Basin, at a 1,500-metre water depth. It is operated by Enauta Energia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, which also has a 100 per cent interest in this asset.