ROLLS-ROYCE has secured a £38million contract to supply a newly developed anchor-handling system that will enable floating production units to be secured to the seabed in extreme conditions offshore Brazil, where a string of large discoveries awaits development.
The system has been developed in response to the increase in ultra-deepwater exploration and will initially be fitted to two vessels serving platforms owned by Petrobras, the state operator.
The vessels are currently under construction by STX Brasil Offshore and each will carry more than 1,000 tonnes of Rolls-Royce equipment.
The equipment package includes winches specially designed for the manoeuvre and installation of novel torpedo anchors. Weighing in at 130 tonnes each, the torpedo anchors have been developed by Petrobras, which is regarded as the top deepwater technologies innovator worldwide, notably through its Procap 3000 technology programme.
By penetrating deep into the seabed, they are intended to provide a secure fixing for the heavy-duty cables used to keep floaters and some mobile drilling units on location.
The powerful Rolls-Royce winches are each capable of handling anchors down to depths of 3,000m – equivalent to more than four times the height of Rio’s famous Corcovado Mountain.
Ottar Antonsen, Rolls-Royce deck machine sales manager, said in a statement: “We have been part of the Brazilian offshore market for over 25 years and this latest contract demonstrates customer confidence in the capabilities of our equipment.
“As oil&gas exploration focuses on more extreme locations around the world, we’ve responded by leading the technological developments that will enable oil companies to extract oil in the most challenging of seabed conditions.
“During our time in Brazil, we have built a strong relationship with Petrobras and will soon be further enhancing our customer support in the region when we open our new marine service centre in Rio.”