Malaysia’s Yinson names its first Brazil-bound FPSO

Malaysian FPSO operator Yinson and its project partner Sumitomo have officially named their newest asset, FPSO Anna Nery, during a naming ceremony held concurrently in Jiangsu, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Letters of Intent for the FPSO Anna Nery project were awarded to Yinson by Petrobras in October 2019, followed by firm contracts execution in March 2020. In April 2020, Sumitomo participated in the project with a 25 per cent stake.

FPSO Anna Nery is currently undergoing final conversion works and is going to set sail for Brazil in 3Q where it will be deployed at the Marlim field located in the eastern part of the Campos Basin, about 150km offshore Rio de Janeiro. The asset will be stopping for a few days in Singapore and Mauritius for crew change and fresh supplies, Yinson informed on Wednesday.

The estimated aggregate value of the FPSO Anna Nery project is $5.4 billion, with a contract period of 25 years from the date of the final acceptance.

The naming ceremony was graced by Mdm Bah Kim Lian, Lady Sponsor of the FPSO. Also in attendance in Kuala Lumpur were Yinson Group Executive Chairman, Lim Han Weng, General Manager of Sumitomo’s Energy Department, Wataru Sato, and Petrobras General Manager, Marcio Mattoso de Padua giving a recorded speech, alongside Yinson’s Board Members and Management Committee and other senior representatives from Sumitomo, Petrobras and key banking partners.

The Jiangsu event, held pier-side at the Cosco Qidong shipyard, was attended by FPSO Anna Nery Project Manager Scott Bendiksen, Chairman & President of Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry Liang Yanfeng, and Managing Director of Cosco Shipping, Li Rong, as well as the Yinson and Cosco project team and crew.

According to Yinson, construction progress on the FPSO Anna Nery project remained relatively unimpacted by the various challenges brought about by the pandemic and stringent movement restrictions in China.

Commenting on the occasion, Yinson Production Chief Executive Officer, Flemming Grønnegaard said, “This milestone provides confidence that Yinson has the ability to continue delivering responsible solutions to meet the world’s increasing energy demands, even in challenging circumstances. FPSO Anna Nery is our maiden asset in Brazil, and the first of three Brazil-bound offshore production projects that Yinson is currently undertaking. We are humbled by the trust that Petrobras has placed in us deliver on this important energy infrastructure project and we look forward to achieving final delivery.”

Project Manager, Scott Bendiksen, stated: “With the construction phase in Cosco now almost completed, and ongoing commissioning works we will endeavour to achieving first oil as per the original contract schedule.”

Petrobras General Manager of FPSO Projects, Marcio Mattoso, commented: “Petrobras highlights that the FPSO Anna Nery will boost the production of Marlim field, which is the first Petrobras Revitalization Project, and the unit is planned to commence its operation in the first quarter of 2023.”

Earlier this year, Petrobras and Yinson signed contracts for the provision of another FPSO, which will operate on the Jubarte field offshore Brazil.