Overview of the Orca FPSO Project

The Orca floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, formerly known as Gato do Mato, is being constructed for Shell’s pre-salt project in the Santos basin Block BM-S-54 offshore Brazil. Shell holds a 50% operating stake, with Ecopetrol (30%) and Kufpec (20%) as partners, and PPSA managing the production sharing contract. First oil is targeted for 2029.

Hull Construction and Integration

The hull construction is split across two East Asian yards. The forward hull section was fabricated at Sumitomo Heavy Industries (SHI-ME) Yokosuka shipyard in Japan, while the aft hull section is under construction at Cosco Shipping Heavy Industries’ Qidong shipyard in China. Modec reached a milestone with the completion and sailaway of the forward section. The two sections will be integrated in China, with final mating and integration contracted to be carried out at Cosco’s Dalian yard. This multi-yard construction model, a first for Modec in partnership with SHI-ME, is described as pioneering a new approach that expands execution flexibility and strengthens global delivery capabilities.

Key Design and Technical Details

The FPSO is designed with a production capacity of approximately 120,000 barrels per day of oil. It will be moored in a water depth of around 2000 meters, approximately 200 kilometers south of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using Modec subsidiary Sofec’s spread mooring system. The vessel is the first to utilize Modec’s Next Generation Hull (NGH) design with a multi-yard construction model. China’s Yanda Engineering is fabricating 14 topsides modules for the FPSO at its facility in China.

Project Timeline and Context

Modec confirmed the contract to supply and operate the newbuild FPSO in March last year, having secured the front-end engineering and design contract in April 2024. This will be Modec’s 19th floating unit for Brazil and the second unit for Shell as a direct client. Modec is also currently working on the Raia project offshore Brazil, and the Uaru and Hammerhead FPSOs destined for Guyana.