US propulsion equipment set for Brazilian drillships

Caterpillar Global Petroleum has announced that it will provide diesel generator sets for six drillships, which will be built at the Estaleiro Enseada do Paraguaçu (EEP) shipyard in the state of Bahia, Brazil.

The US company said that it will supply six 16CM32 main diesel generator sets for each of the drillships to provide the main and propulsion power. Each vessel will also be fitted with one 3516B generator set to provide back-up emergency power.

Antti Ekqvist, Caterpillar global business development manager for offshore oil and gas said: “We are pleased to be selected as the preferred power solutions provider by EEP for these new drillships. Our significant footprint in Brazil enables Caterpillar to not only package, test and assemble its power solutions, but also provide through our dealer, Sotreq S. A., superior product support and service during the operational lifetime of the vessels.”

The drillships are to be used in the Brazilian pre-salt ultra-deep layers drilling programme. Caterpillar says that the generator sets provide the reliability, durability, efficiency, and performance required to meet the challenging operational conditions associated with the pre-salt. They are also said to meet IMO Tier II emissions standards.

The 16CM32 generator sets will be packaged and tested at the Caterpillar facility in Piracicaba to meet local content standards. The US company’s investment in the Piracicaba facility has enabled it to offer a wide range of main power, auxiliary, and emergency generator sets to meet the Brazilian national content needs of the country’s fast growing offshore oil and gas industry.

Brazilian investment company, Sete Brasil, has ordered the drillships, which will be chartered to Petrobras for 15 years.