Aker Kvaerner Scores Major Brazilian Subsea Work

Aker Kvaerner

Aker Kvaerner has been awarded two contracts from Petrobras to supply a total of three subsea manifolds for two of the Brazilian oil giant's projects offshore Brazil. Combined contract value is approximately US $90 million.

Aker Kvaerner Subsea in Brazil will design, manufacture and deliver two oil production manifolds for Petrobras' Albacora RWI project in the Campos Basin, and one gas export pipeline-end manifold to the Jubarte phase II project. All manifolds are designed and qualified for use at water depths up to 2000 meters.

Work for both projects will be managed and completed from Aker Kvaerner Subsea's facility in Curitiba, Brazil. Deliveries are scheduled to start up in 2009 for the Albacora RWI project and in 2010 for Jubarte. Aker Kvaerner Subsea in Aberdeen, UK, will supply control systems for the projects, while offices in Norway and India will support with system engineering resources.

"We are very pleased to be chosen as Petrobras' partner on these key projects", says Marcelo Taulois, president, Aker Kvaerner Subsea in Brazil.

"The contracts are the result of a regional strategy put together three years ago", adds Taulois. "The aim of this strategy was to break into the almost captive manifolds market in Brazil, primarily focusing the design and fabrication of less complex subsea structures. The end result is not only two significant contract awards, but also the development of unique deepwater expertise and competitive engineering solutions within this area."

The manifolds for the Albacora field will allow the collection of enhanced oil recovered from distant wells due to the implementation of an innovative technology named Raw Water Injection (RWI) developed by Petrobras' research center, CENPES. The scope of work comprises two four-slot manifolds operated through an integrated multiplexed control system, multiple vertical connection modules and several individually retrievable modules such as control, production, crossover, pig detector and flow metering. A complete set of tools, accessories and spares will also be delivered.

The manifold for the Jubarte II project will be deployed at 1193 meters water depth and hooked onto the Sul Capixaba gas export pipeline, Espirito Santo basin. The manifold will act as the key element to the functionality of the Sul Capixaba gas export system, collecting gas not only from Jubarte field, but also from the Catua, Baleia Azul, Cachalote, Caxareu, Pirambu, Ostra, Abalone, Nautilus and Argonauta fields.

The scope of work for the Jubarte project comprises one subsea gas export pipeline-end manifold with six slots, a multiplexed data acquisition and monitoring system, 6-inch and 10-inch vertical connection modules, individually retrievable gas production and pig deviation modules, plus complete sets of tools, accessories and spares.

Aker Kvaerner has extensive experience delivering subsea equipment in Brazil, having delivered more than 130 subsea trees to Petrobras since starting its Brazilian operation in 1995.


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