Posted on 02/13/2015 4:39:49 AM PST by thackney
Norway's BW Offshore confirmed Thursday that of the 74 persons onboard the Cidade de Sao Mateus FPSO, there have been five fatalities, with four crew still missing. The remaining crew are all accounted for and receiving medical care where needed, with two in critical condition and for safety reasons, have all been taken off the unit. The next of kin have been informed and all personnel are being attended to by a special support team established by BW Offshore Brazil.
Search and rescue operations continued into the night following the explosion onboard the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) unit Cidade de Sao Mateus on Wednesday Feb. 11. Production has been stopped and the unit has been shut down. The unit is operated for Petrobras by BW Offshore. The FPSO is operating on the Camarupim and Camarupim Norte fields in Espirito Santo littoral approximately 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the coast off Brazil.
BW Offshore CEO Carl K. Arnet says: “This is a tragic day, and our primary focus now is on the crew and their families. We cannot rest until the last four of our men are found. We express our gratitude to Petrobras and the Brazillian authorities for the tireless efforts in this time and wish to thank our peers and partners for their support.”
The blast was caused by a gas leak on board the Cidade de São Mateus, a floating oil production, storage and offloading ship (FPSO), said Davidson Lomba, finance director of Sindepetro-ES, the union representing workers on the platform.
The ensuing fire was quickly contained, the vessel stabilized, and oil and gas output halted, ANP said in a statement, adding that no oil leaked into the ocean.
The FPSO, owned by Norway-listed ship leaser BW Offshore Ltd , also processes natural gas that is sent to shore by undersea pipeline. The platform produces about 2.25 million cubic meters (88.3 million cubic feet) a day of natural gas and 350 cubic meters (2,200 barrels) a day of oil, according to ANP.
While the platform accounts for less than 3 percent of gas production at Petrobras, and less than 1 percent of oil output, it comes as the company struggles through its worst crisis in history.
Security concerns had been mounting at Petrobras before the accident. Last month, three workers were seriously burned in a refinery explosion, one of several that has beset the company in the last two years.
Was this one of the facilities that the President used U.S. taxpayer money to fund, rather than agree to the Keystone Pipeline? Either way, the “O” will blame someone else for the disaster.
How’s PBR compared to Pemex, corruption- and incompetence-wise? On its face, you’d think less, given the PBR is doing much more complicated projects. The problem, of course, is that the current Brazilian government seems to have no respect for property rights.
If Mexico is your standard for comparison, sure Brazil is better but...
Minister: No Need For Petrobras Investment Cut Due To Corruption Probe
http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/136876/Minister_No_Need_For_Petrobras_Investment_Cut_Due_To_Corruption_Probe
INSIGHT: Failure to Stop Petrobras Scandal Could Haunt Brazil’s Rousseff
http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/136588/INSIGHT_Failure_to_Stop_Petrobras_Scandal_Could_Haunt_Brazils_Rousseff
Petrobras Management Quits, Race On To Find Replacements
http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/137073/Petrobras_Management_Quits_Race_On_To_Find_Replacements
Aw, I had thought that a government-run monopoly was BEYOND corruption and financial manipulation - wasn’t that reason these state-run enterprises are formed in the first place. And now pile safety issues on top? If it is a state-run enterprise, there should be no NEED for a separate occupational safety and hazardous control agency, it was all built into the structure of the monopoly.
(Do I HAVE to include the < /sarcasm > tag EVERY time?)
As I recall, Oblama sent Brazil $1,000,000,000 of taxpayer money to drill offshore.
Loan guarantees (actually financed through private banks) is hardly the same as donating taxpayer money.
While I do not agree this is the role of the federal government, we also should not claim it is more than it was in reality. Loans to oil production, even with the falling prices, are one area that is nearly certain to get repaid with interest. Falling prices may drag out the payments with additional interest, but the oil reserves are rather good “collateral” on this.
http://www.exim.gov/newsandevents/Facts-About-Ex-Im-Bank-Loans-To-Support-Petrobras.cfm
THE OPPORTUNITY: PETROBRAS PLANS TO SPEND $175 BILLION TO DEVELOP ITS OFF-SHORE OIL FIELDS
In April 2009, Ex-Im Bank formally offered to consider up to $2 billion in financing to secure the purchase of U.S. goods and services by Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), Brazil’s national oil company. Ex-Im Bank told Petrobras it would consider increasing its offer above $2 billion if requested. Potentially, Petrobras $2 billion of purchases financed by Ex-Im Bank will help create and maintain over 16,000 American jobs.
OVER $300 MILLION EX-IM BANK CREDIT GUARANTEE SUPPORTS EXPORT SALES BY ABOUT 150 U.S. COMPANIES
To date, Ex-Im Bank has approved a request from JP Morgan Chase, acting as lender, for a more than $300 million, medium-term guarantee. This facility was made operative on May 27, 2011 and is being used to finance the Petrobras’s general purchases of U.S. manufactured oil and gas equipment and services.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.