Japan's Modec has won an order from Equinor to supply an FPSO for the Norwegian firm's Bacalhau (formerly Carcará) field offshore Brazil. According to Equinor and Modec, this will be the largest FPSO in Brazil.

"This contract is based on a two-step award. The FEED and pre-investment are starting now, with an option for the execution phase under a lump-sum turnkey contract setup which includes engineering, procurement, construction and installation for the entire FPSO scopes. Option for the contract is subject to Equinor's planned investment decision for the Bacalhau project [ in ] late 2020," Modec said.

The FPSO vessel will be deployed at the Bacalhau field, Block BM-S-8, located in the giant "pre-salt" region of the Santos Basin some 185 kilometers off the coast of the municipality of Ilhabela/SP, in the state of São Paulo.

Equinor's field partners are ExxonMobil (40%) and Petrogal Brasil (20 %)

Modec will be responsible for the design and construction of the FPSO, including topsides processing equipment as well as hull and marine systems. The FPSO vessel will be permanently moored at a water depth of approximately 2,050 meters by a spread mooring system to be supplied by the Modec group company, SOFEC, Inc. First oil production is planned in the 2023-2024 timeframe.

The FPSO will be the largest FPSO ever delivered to Brazil. It will have a topside designed to produce up to 220,000 barrels of crude oil per day, produce and inject up to 530 million standard cubic feet of associated gas per day and inject up to 200,000 barrels of seawater per day. Its minimum storage capacity of crude oil will be 2,000,000 barrels.

Modec will operate the FPSO for the first year, after which Equinor plans to operate the facilities until end of the license period in 2053. 

“This will be the largest FPSO in Brazil with a production capacity of 220,000 barrels per day,” Anders Opedal, Equinor’s executive vice president for Technology, Projects & Drilling.

Yuji Kozai, President and CEO of Modec said: "We are extremely honored and proud to have been selected to provide a world-class FPSO for Bacalhau project which is Equinor's first pre-salt project in Brazil."

"We believe this is the start of a long-term relationship with our clients Equinor, ExxonMobil, and Petrogal Brasil and an opportunity that strengthens Modec position as the leading FPSO service provider to the industry. We are committed to carry out this major project by cooperating closely with our clients in order to contribute to the advancement of the energy industry in Brazil."

The FPSO will be MODEC's 17th FPSO/FSO vessel in Brazil and Modec's 9th FPSO in the pre-salt region, as well as Modec's first contract with Equinor.