On the 24th of January, the Port of Rio de Janeiro received the FPSO (acronym for a floating production, stock and oil transfer unit) P-70, which will operate in the Campos Basin Pre-Salt complex. The platform was brought by the semi-submersible vessel Boka Vanguard, which anchored in one of the anchoring areas in Guanabara Bay, where it will be unloaded. The complex mooring operation mobilized professionals from Companhia Docas do Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Navy and Pilotage in Rio de Janeiro.

The Port of Rio de Janeiro Water Access Manager, Roque Pizarroso, stressed that "a maneuver of this size is very technical and requires a lot of expertise from the professionals involved". This is because the ship is extremely heavy, carrying the platform of 78 thousand tons, millimetrically accommodated on the vessel.

According to Pizarroso, "the mooring operation was a success, but the most important and delicate maneuver will take place on Thursday, the 30th, when the Boka Vanguard will submerge to unload the platform P-70 (Float-Off), which, when unloaded, will go to another anchorage area, where it will remain for approximately 30 days ". According to him, during this period, commissioning, nationalization of the structure and preparations for the continuation of the trip to the Atapu 1 Project (Pre-Salt) of the Santos Basin will be carried out, among other actions.

Regarding the choice of the platform unloading location, the manager explained that "Guanabara Bay has sheltered waters, which perfectly meet all the technical requirements for depth, winds and currents necessary for the operation".

Learn more about the P-70 

The P-70 is part of the series of replicating platforms, which currently account for part of the production in the pre-salt, with the operation already started in the units P-66, P-67, P-68 and P-69. Built in China, the platform has the capacity to produce 150,000 barrels of oil and 6 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.

The transport of the P-70 was carried out by the modality called dry tow, which means that instead of being driven by ocean tugs, the unit is loaded on a semi-submersible heavy lift ship. heavy load).