Demand for offshore towage is rising in Brazil driven by investments in deepwater oil and gas developments and LNG terminals
This has led regional tug owner Wilson Sons to construct a new fleet of six high-powered tugs at its shipyard in Guarujá, in Sao Paulo state, compliant with IMO Tier III emissions requirements including exhaust aftertreatment to remove more than 75% nitrogen oxide emissions.
A study carried out by Wilson Sons concluded that 22 floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels are expected to start operating in Brazil between 2022 and 2026. Most of these will be operated by state-run energy group Petrobras, with the others operated by international energy majors.
Wilson Sons already operates 80 tugs in Brazil and has carried out more than 20 operations this year for the offshore oil and gas market, manoeuvring and towing FPSOs, drilling rigs and floating storage regasification units (FSRUs).
“Over the next four years, we will have a considerable number of [floating] platforms starting to operate, others being decommissioned and new LNG terminals, which brings a series of opportunities for the supply chain in this industry,” said Wilson Sons’ towage division commercial director Elísio Dourado.
The projects served by the company’s escort and azimuth stern drive tugs are at the LNG terminals of Celse in Aracajú, Sergipe state, GNA in Açu Port, Rio de Janeiro state and Petrobras’ LNG facility in Pecém, Ceara.
Wilson Sons’ tugs supported ship-to-ship operations at Açu Port and participated in assistance manoeuvres for the FPSOs P-71 at Jurong Shipyard in Espirito Santo, BW Cidade de São Vicente and Carioca MV30 offshore Rio de Janeiro, among others.
“We have experienced consistent growth in this market, which we are looking closely at. These are complex operations that demand great care with safety and intense crew training. And safety is, without a doubt, one of the main pillars of the Wilson Sons’ group,” said Mr Dourado.
“When there is an oil and gas operation, the operational team participates in meetings with customers from the beginning to ensure the best planning for the manoeuvre, as the tugboats are an essential part of the process,” said Mr Dourado.
“Towing, docking, undocking and operating plans are usually approved by us and we normally suggest the best arrangements of connections, cables and materials to be used. This alignment of the Wilson Sons’ team with the customer is essential for the manoeuvre to take place safely and efficiently,” he explained.
Wilson Sons’ towage division has incorporated the latest in tug monitoring and crew training technologies. Its operations centre monitors in real time the tugboats and vessels involved in these operations, using a network of automatic identification system antennas. It is in constant contact with all those involved – customers, pilots, port and maritime authorities.
The CAMWS maritime improvement centre has its own simulators, capable of predicting different operational scenarios which is used by customers in the oil and gas segment to prepare for large projects and operations.
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