Petrobras and its new oil discharge technology.

This new and innovative system will greatly help unloading times. It is a cargo transfer vessel (CTV), which makes it possible to transfer hydrocarbons directly from an FPSO (floating production, storage and offloading unit) to a conventional suezmax tanker or a very large crude carrier.

It should be noted that this transfer system is one of the best, most efficient and cost-effective alternatives today, compared to the old shuttle tanker systems with dynamic positioning (DPST), which until now have been important in the transfer of oil from FPSOs to export tankers, which have been doing the job in the different environmental conditions that can be imagined.

The novelty of this system is that the cargo transfers allow a tanker to approach a FPSO in a very safe way and receive its cargo directly, without having to use a DPST as in the past or without requiring the subsequent transfer of crude oil from the DPST to an oil tanker as was conventional.

The transfer system has several advantages, one of which is that it can be developed in a variety of very deep offshore environments, it can also be used in mature fields and thus avoid the investment required to install or replace unloading buoys.

It is important to note that the French group TotalEnergies subjected the CTV to different and rigorous tests before putting it into practice with excellent results in its Lapa field, using the Sea Loader vessel, which holds the patent for the technology.

This innovative and new way of unloading allows the entire operation to be carried out in the same field, thus eliminating the need to travel by tanker and ensuring the reduction of risks and costs, as well as a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.

With this new technology, Petrobras will be able to diversify its export markets to refineries in the USA, Europe and Latin America, as well as to other Asian markets besides China, hoping to exceed the expectation that the volume of oil exported by Petrobras in 2020.

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[1] https://www.bnamericas.com/es/noticias/petrobras-busca-nueva-tecnologia-de-descarga.