Solstad vessel set to perform decom ops offshore Brazil

Solstad Offshore’s offshore construction vessel (OCV) Normand Cutter has arrived in Brazil to conduct decommissioning activities for Petrobras under a contract with Brazilian oil and gas services provider Ocyan.

According to Ocyan, the decommissioning activities will be performed on Petrobras’ subsea structures in Campos Basin and Sergipe-Alagoas.

The Brazilian company informed that the contract was awarded last year and the vessel is expected to perform the first campaign for the collection of equipment in Campos Basin as of the second half of January 2023.

Upon completion, the vessel will remain in Campos Basin for two weeks after which it is expected to unload the equipment at Vitória, Espírito Santo.

At the end of this first stage, still in Espírito Santo, it is planned to perform the last stage of equipment deployment using rollers and reels for the storage of flexible pipes necessary for the sequence of the project.

The vessel was previously in Norway, from where it departed to Scotland, where recovery and pipe lay systems were deployed.

“This is the first decommissioning contract for offshore production fields in Brazil and we can say that we are at the forefront when it comes to the national production chain. The project will give us experience and great expertise. This project marks the return of Ocyan to the subsea construction area. We expect a bright future with new opportunities in other companies, including international operators,” said André Luiz Magalhães, Executive Manager for Subsea Construction at Ocyan.

“After all this trajectory, in February, Normand Cutter will start to operate definitely at Campos Basin, withdrawing structures of FPSO Cidade do Rio de Janeiro and FPSO Cidade de Rio das Ostras, and in the second semester, it will initiate the work at Sergipe Alagoas Basin, in the area of the FPSO Piranema. All materials will be treated and sent for recycling. Offshore services under the contract will last for approximately one and a half years, and the initial milestone occurred in Scotland, with the deployment of equipment.”

Normand Cutter is a 127.5 meters-long (OCV), equipped with a crane featuring a lifting capacity of 300 tons, in addition to a flexible pipe lay system of up to 100 tons and pipe storage of up to 1250 tons.

The vessel has a crew capacity of 114 people. Ocyan noted that its onboard team will be composed of 23 members.

Rafael Guigon, Director for Subsea Construction Contracts at Ocyan, added: ”For Ocyan, the presence of the Normand Cutter in its fleet is a strategic point and will provide a window of opportunity for new subsea construction contracts. From now on, we can search for other projects that require this kind of asset as a work tool for activities performed in this area. This vessel will allow the execution of simultaneous projects.”

In June 2022, Normand Cutter won a contract for decommissioning activities with an undisclosed client in South America for a firm charter period of 460 days with the possibility of a further 480-day extension.

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