FPSO Cidade de Itajaí reaches mark of 100 million barrels produced

In operation for six years, last week (7) FPSO Cidade de Itajaí reached the mark of 100 million oil barrels produced at the Baúna Oil Field in the Santos Basin. Operated by the 50/50 joint venture TK-Ocyan (an Ocyan and Teekay Offshore partnership), the floating vessel also registered safety and performance indicators that further reinforce its success.

The asset can operate in water depths of up to 1,000 meters, has daily production capacity of 80,000 oil barrels and can compress and reinject 2 million cubic meters of gas per day. The FPSO stands apart for its exceptional operational uptime performance since its inauguration. FPSO Cidade de Itajaí currently is chartered to Petrobras until 2022, with an option to renew the agreement for another six years.

“Achieving this production milestone is a great source of pride for us. FPSO Cidade de Itajaí represents Ocyan’s consolidation as an operator of floating oil production units in Brazil, which is an important step for our company as a provider of integrated services in the offshore production chain,” said Jorge Mitidieri, Director of the Ocyan Integrated Services Business Unit.

Another positive indicator registered by the FPSO is the mark of one year with no recordable accidents (with or without lost time) aboard, which was reached at the end of February and further attests to the quality of the planning since the project’s launch. “We have not had any recordable accidents for more than 400 days. Our previous record was 1,052 days. The achievement is the result of a long and continuous effort by our team and their dedication since startup, which demonstrates the seriousness with which we carry out our work and the commitment of the entire TK-Ocyan team,” said Clarice Romariz, Executive Officer of the TK-Ocyan joint venture.

Chris Brett, President of Teekay Offshore Productions, said that “this is a significant mark for Teekay Offshore, given that FPSO Cidade de Itajaí was our third asset to start operations in Brazil and cemented our presence in this important market. Our interest in the Brazilian FPSO market remains strong and, given the exceptional safety and operating performance registered at FPSO Cidade de Itajaí, we know we have a bright future in Brazil.”

Arne Bye, Senior Operations Vice President at Teekay Offshore Productions and Director at the joint venture, said, “Teekay’s 30-plus years of experience operating FPSOs, combined with the other services offered by Ocyan, are the perfect match for developing a strong supplier of oil & gas services in the Brazilian market. We’re very proud of the safety and operational performance and efficiency of our employees both on land and at sea.”

Successful Partnership

Built at the Jurong shipyard in Singapore, FPSO Cidade de Itajaí arrived in Brazil on December 29, 2012. Operations started on February 16, 2013. Cidade de Itajaí is the first production unit operated by the TK-Ocyan joint venture, which today also has the FPSO Pioneiro de Libra, allocated to the Mero Field, in the Libra Basin, Brazil’s largest pre-salt reserve.

“The partnership between Ocyan and Teekay Offshore is a great success, with two excellent vessels in operation. We want to keep working together to capture the growth opportunities in the Brazilian market in the future,” said Clarice.

Women’s leadership

In addition to Clarice Romariz, one other woman who stands out in leading the FPSO Cidade de Itajaí is Nathalia Souza Teixeira, a 31-year-old Mechanical Engineer, who has led the vessel’s operations since November 2018. The team is formed by about 60 team members onboard and 25 onshore, in addition to the team shared between the two operating Units. Nathalia holds a degree from the Federal University of Minas Gerais and started her career at Ocyan, in 2014.