About the project

In collaboration with its shipowners, operators, and SBM, Proper Marine – now Longitude Brazil – provided specialized technical and regulatory engineering services for the FPSO Capixaba. The focus was on preparatory activities for decommissioning and ocean towing, ensuring compliance with stringent regulations and conventions for safe and environmentally responsible decommissioning.

Operated by SBM for Petrobras, the Capixaba is anchored in the Cachalote field, located approximately 80 kilometers off the coast of Espírito Santo, near the municipality of Anchieta (ES).

The unit operates in post-salt and pre-salt wells, with a maximum installed capacity of 110,000 bpd and 3.2 million m³ of gas. Its production began in 2010, at a water depth of approximately 1480 meters, and covers the Cachalote, Jubarte, and Baleia Franca fields, all located 80 kilometers from the coast.

Challenges

The decommissioning process involves the gradual shutdown of the unit’s operations and the dismantling of its facilities, followed by the recycling and proper disposal of the removed materials, considering sustainability and environmental protection.

Although this type of service offers opportunities for the Brazilian oil and gas industry, such as investments in port infrastructure and specialized vessels, it also presents complex technical, regulatory, and logistical challenges.

What our team said

“These projects are highly complex and extremely important in the national market, given the large number of units that will be decommissioned in the coming years.”