Petrobras has awarded further subsea installation work to Saipem today within the Santos Basin Pre-Salt region utilizing their Field Development Ship 2 (FDS 2).

This DP3 vessel is 183 meters in length and features a 1,000 ton main crane and a 2,000 ton J-lay tower capable of laying quad pipe strings 36 inches in diameter.

The scope of work includes the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of three offshore pipelines and terminations as well as Free Standing Hybrid Risers (FSHRs) for the gas export systems at the Lula Field.   Water depths in the region are around 2,200 meters and the offshore work will commence in the first half of 2016 with final delivery in the third quarter of that year.

A graphical depiction of what a Free Standing Hybrid Riser array looks like. The “hybrid” refers to the combination of flexible lines connecting the FPSO to the free standing, rigid production pipe which is supported by the buoyancy cans. Image via 2H Offshore

Saipem notes they will use their yard, currently under development in Guaruja, for the fabrication of the risers system and the associated subsea equipment.

In the meantime, the FDS 2 will be working at Petrobras’ Sapinhoa Norte and Cernambi Sul fields doing very similar work beginning later this year.