On Tuesday August 13, Petrobras brought the Cidade de Carapebus into operation in the Campos Basin. This maintenance and safety (M & S) vessel is to handle platform maintenance over the next five years. The aim is to extend the useful life of production platforms, ensure the safety of the workforce and integrity of offshore facilities, as well as boosting operational efficiency.

For Campos Basin E&P Operations General Manager, Joelson Falcão Mendes, the maintenance and safety vessel is essential to the future of Petrobras. "On the 36th anniversary of the first oil production in Campos Basin, Petrobras is reaffirming its commitment to achieving the goals set out in the Company's Business and Management Plan, whose success depends on maintaining our platforms, some of which have been in operation for 20 or 30 years."

Cidade de Carapebus is equipped with a dynamic positioning system with eight thrusters providing power of 17.65 MW. This dynamic positioning allows the maintenance and safety vessel to link up to any type of platform using GPS sensors and a sophisticated thruster system to track the movement of the platform in complete safety. The vessel is coupled to the platform by an automated telescopic gangway.

On its first job, the Cidade de Carapebus is coupled to P-8 for carrying out painting and welding work and renovating the living quarters, helideck and crane to bring the platform in line with the technical inspector's recommendations and legal agency requirements, and also improve operational safety and efficiency.

With a total length of 180 meters, the vessel accommodates up to 533 professionals. Apart from maintenance, painting and hollow-ware workshops, the maintenance vessel has a storage area and enclosed workspace and storage facility. It also has facilities for generating up to 30 MW of electricity (enough to supply a city of 200,000 inhabitants) and producing 180 m³/day of drinking water.

Since 2005, Petrobras has contracted maintenance and safety vessels geared to platform refurbishment and maintenance. Three other M&S vessels are currently operating in the Campos Basin: Cidade de Casimiro de Abreu and Cidade de Arraial do Cabo, managed by the Campos Basin Operations Unit, and Cidade de Quissamã, managed by the Rio de Janeiro E&P Operations Unit.

Later this year, two other M&S vessels will be placed in service by the Campos Basin Operations Unit, consolidating the use of these vessels in their essential task of revitalizing operational production platforms.