Written by
Nick Blenkey
SeaLoader 2 [Photo: MOL]
Mitsui O.S.Okay. Strains (MOL) experiences that its wholly owned subsidiary, SeaLoading Holding AS has signed a constitution contract for the cargo switch vessel SeaLoader 2 with Petrobras. The 2 firms have additionally determined to enter into negotiations on inserting a shipbuilding contract for a 3rd cargo switch vessel by the top of 2024.
SeaLoading’s cargo switch vessels (which it logically, however confusingly, refers to as CTVs) allow crude oil from a floating manufacturing, storage & offloading system (FPSO) to be immediately loaded onto a tanker of as much as VLCC dimension with out the usage of DP shuttle tankers with particular cargo dealing with tools. Often, shuttle tankers transport the oil from the FPSO to a storage terminal or to calm waters the place it may be transferred to a crude oil tanker.
Eliminating all this by connecting a SeaLoading cargo switch vessel between the FPSO and the crude tanker can thus dramatically enhance the effectivity of crude oil logistics. Presently, there are solely two of the vessels on the earth, each owned by Arendal, Norway, headquartered SeaLoading, which holds the patent for the know-how.
In January 2022, SeaLoading reached an settlement with Petrobras that noticed one of many two vessels, SeaLoader 2, function for a trial interval throughout which it efficiently accomplished greater than 30 crude oil offloading operations from Petrobras FPSOs situated within the Santos Basin, Brazil, transferring the cargo to tankers of as much as VLCC dimension. After the profitable conclusion of the trial settlement, the SeaLoading vessel was positioned on a time constitution contract with Petrobras in 2023. Now, SeaLoading has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Petrobras to begin negotiations for a newbuilding cargo switch vessel by the top of 2024.
MOL says that the usage of the vessels will allow a big discount in CO2 emissions in comparison with the switch of crude oil by DP shuttle tankers. Particularly, the cargo switch vessels are anticipated to realize a 60% discount in CO2 emissions off the Brazilian coast in comparison with utilizing a DP shuttle tanker for offloading within the Santos basin, Brazil and about 80% when used off the coast of Uruguay.
