Q2 2024 sees return of significant FPSO orders with $12 billion in contract awards

(WO) - After a year without a significant FPSO order, three units have been ordered since Q2 2024.

A $8.16 billion EPC contract has been awarded from Petrobras to Seatrium for the P 84 (Atapu 2) & P 85 (Sepia 2) FPSOs. Seatrium was the only bidder after COOEC withdrew its proposal for the P 84 FPSO.

A $3.7 Billion order was awarded to Saipem to provide and operate an FPSO as well as the SURF package for Total’s Kaminho project in Angola.

In addition, SBM announced that TotalEnergies had reserved a Fast4Ward hull for the Block 58 development offshore Suriname and will allocate the hull ordered in March 2023 at CMHI (China Merchants Heavy Industry).

FID is expected in Q4 2024, with first oil in 2028. The FPSO is expected to have processing capacity of around 200,000 bpd. Following their model of having one available FPSO hull at all times, SBM ordered another unit from CMHI and has two slots available with CSSC-SWS in 2025.

Additional floating production orders are expected in the second half of 2024 and into 2025. Energy Maritime Associates (EMA) has identified 29 projects that are most likely to be awarded within the next 12 months.

These include 16 FPSOs, 7 FSOs, 3 FLNGs, 2 Semis, and 1 MOPU. These will be for multiple units in Brazil, new frontier regions such as Namibia and the Falklands, as well as the re-emergence of mature areas like Angola, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, and Malaysia.

Over half of these orders would be leases. There could be up to five FPSOs awarded for Brazil. However, awards for leased Petrobras units could be further delayed, due to high prices and lack of competition.

Further details are included in the 260 page Q3 2024 Floating Production Systems Report, which covers:

• 177 Projects in planning pipeline
• 52 Production floaters and 8 storage floaters currently on order
• 23 Units currently available (14 FPSOs, 3 Semis, 2 FSOs, 2 FSRUs, 1 Barge, and 1 SPAR).
• 345 production floaters and 114 storage floaters currently in service or available
• 414 production floaters, 190 storage floaters, and 24 MOPUs delivered or redeployed since 1996

According to EMA’s Managing Director, David Boggs, "From mid-2023 there was a dearth of large FPSO awards as there was limited capacity and companies adjusted to new pricing realities throughout the offshore sector. As expected, orders resumed in May 2024, with the most expensive FPSOs ever ordered at over $4 billion. Seatrium was the only bidder for these two massive units for Petrobras. This sets a new bar and shows the limited capacity in the market.

“However, additional competition may be attracted at these price levels. The fundamentals of the floating production sector remain strong with a large number of developments in the planning pipeline. While financing remains a challenge, particularly for leased assets, alternative sources of capital, including bonds and private equity, are available and interested in the long-term, infrastructure nature of floating production contracts.”