Page 13 - LatAmOil Week 31 2021

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“The decision to launch Mero-4 marks the last Fast4Ward® programme, which allows for SBM
milestone in the large-scale development of the Offshore to construct the vessel on the basis of
Mero oil resources,” he was quoted as saying in its Multi-Purpose Floater (MPF) hull and sev-
the French company’s statement. “This giant eral standardised topsides modules. The vessel,
project is in line with TotalEnergies’ growth which will be known as the Alexandre de Gus-
strategy in Brazil, which is to produce oil at a mão, is due to be finished and delivered in 2024,
competitive cost out of world-class fields while SBM Offshore stated. It also said the unit would
limiting CO2 emissions to a strict minimum.” be delivered to a site in 1,900-metre-deep water.
Breuillac was speaking the day before SBM The Mero field is operated by Petrobras
Offshore of the Netherlands revealed that it (40%) in partnership with Shell Brasil Petróleo
had signed a letter of intent (LoI) with Brazil’s Ltda. (20%), Total E&P do Brasil Ltda. (20%),
national oil company (NOC) Petrobras that pro- CNODC Brasil Petróleo e Gás Ltda. (10%),
vided for the lease and operation of a 180,000 CNOOC Petroleum Brasil Ltda. (10%) and
bpd FPSO at the Mero field. Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA), which is the man-
The Dutch company intends to design and ager of the group’s production-sharing contract
build the FPSO within the framework of its (PSC). ™

ECUADOR
Work resumes on bypass lines

for SOTE and OCP networks

THE operators of Ecuador’s two main oil export These will not be the first bypass lines for
pipelines have restarted work on bypass lines SOTE and OCP. The operators of both systems
near San Luis, a settlement in Napo Province, have spent more than $20mn on the construc-
after being delayed by protests last month, tion of new pipe sections and other measures
according to the national oil company (NOC) designed to minimise environmental hazards
Petroecuador. since April 2020, when heavy rains triggered
A company representative told Argus Media erosion and landslides that damaged the pipe-
earlier this week that Petroecuador had resumed lines and caused oil spills along the Coca River
construction of building the seventh bypass sec- and its tributaries.
tion of its Trans-Ecuadorian Oil Pipeline System Additional bypasses may be necessary in the
(SOTE). The project had to be suspended for future if conditions do not improve, the Petroe-
several weeks in July after residents of San Luis cuador representative said earlier this week. “We
began staging protests and demanding that the hope this is the last bypass, but it depends on the
pipeline operators hire more local workers, he erosion,” he told Argus Media.
explained. The SOTE pipeline system can handle up to
He did not comment on Petroecuador’s 360,000 barrels per day of crude oil, while OCP
response to these events, but he stated that work has a throughput capacity of 450,000 bpd.
on the bypass line was now expected to be com- The latter pipeline is owned by a group of
pleted within two or three weeks. The pipeline international investors that includes Andes
will continue to operate normally during con- Petroleum (China), Occidental (US), Pampa
struction but will be shut down briefly later this Energia (Argentina), Perenco (UK) and Repsol
month so that the detour can be incorporated (Spain). ™
into the system, he added.
The Petroecuador representative went on
to say that the privately owned operator of
the Heavy Crude Pipeline (OCP) system had
resumed preparations for building its own
bypass line near San Luis. OCP is gearing up to
launch construction of a 4-km bypass line, he
said, noting that the project would take four
months to complete. The company had no
choice but to ramp down operations last month,
he explained, partly because of the protests in
San Luis but also because of heavy rains that
caused water levels in the Papallacta river to rise
on July 19-20. SOTE and OCP pipelines (Image: Ecuador Ministry of Hydrocarbons)

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