US designer cleans up in Brazil

The first contract is with Brazilian shipyard Detroit Brasil., a subsidiary of Detroit Chile, to deliver the basic/class design and detailed / construction engineering for four PSVs of type 4500, to be operated for Petrobras by Starnav. To meet the Petrobras specification, GPA has developed a new variation of its design, known as the GPA 688SC PSV, with a special deckhouse arrangement. This design has the capability to be transformed into the PSV 3000 (GPA 675 PSV), another vessel specified by Petrobras, by changing the midbody section. This characteristic is said to be extremely valuable for the shipyard as it offers a high degree of flexibility and gives the opportunity to build in series.

The GPA 688 SC PSV is 90m length oa, and capacity of 4500dwt. The vessels will employ a diesel-electric propulsion system, consisting of MTU engines, Schottel propulsors and an integrated engine control room (ECR) by EPD. Four main MTU gensets of 1,845kW rating and one MTU emergency generator of 176kW have been chosen, along with two Schottel 2,500kW azimuthing combi drives and two 900kW tunnel thrusters.

The ECR will be delivered pre-tested in a container, and is esigned to be an integral art of the ship’s structure. This approach, first brought to market in 2009 on the GPA-designed Bourbon Liberties offshore vessel, is said to minimize the risk of equipment damage in the shipyard. The GPA 688 PSVs, providing accommodations for 30 crew members, will bear the class notation ABS, +DPS-2, +A1, Offshore Support Vessel, Circle E, +AMS and +ACCU. Delivery of the first GPA 688 PSV is expected in October 2012 while the series is expected to be completed in October 2013.

The second contract is with Brazilian shipyard EISA Estaleiro Ilha for two GPA 675 PSVs, again designed specifically to Petrobras requirements (PSV 3000). Both are currently under construction at EISA for the Brazilian offshore operator Astromaritima Navegacao.

The vessels too are outfitted with a diesel-electric propulsion system, comprising equipment by Berg Propulsion and Caterpillar. Each system consists of two azimuthing drives, each rated for 2,500kW and two bow thrusters, each rated for 750kW. The propulsors, bow thrusters and other electrical consumers will run on four Caterpillar generators each rated for 1,825kW and an emergency generator rated for 190kW. The electrical components of the propulsion system will be provided by WEG.

The GPA 675 PSV has an overall length of 76.8m, beam of 19m, and maximum draught of 6m. The use of a diesel-electric propulsion system is said to maximize cargo carrying capacities, as the engine room is located above the main deck, a concept which GPA says it pioneered. The ships will provide accommodation for 22 crew members and passengers, will bear the class notation ABS, +A1, Offshore Support Vessel, +AMS, +DPS-2, Circle E and +ES.

Under the third contract, again with Estaleiro Ilha, GPA was contracted to design one GPA 462-10 OSRV, designed specifically to Petrobras requirements, and designated OSRV 750-10. This has subsequently been followed by an order for a second ship, and both are currently under construction for operator Astromaritima Navegacao.

The 64m vessels also have a diesel-electric propulsion system from Caterpillar and Berg. In this case it consists of two azimuthing drives, each rated for 1,700kW, and two bow thrusters, each rated for 448kW on the first vessel and approximately 600kW on the second vessel. The propulsors and bow thrusters will run from three Caterpillar generator sets each rated for 1,700kW.

Besides fresh water tanks (315m³) permanent fuel oil tanks (489m³) and day oil tanks (33.3m³), these OSRVs will be capable of transporting a maximum of 800m³ of recovered oil. The GPA 462-10 OSRV, providing accommodations for 16 crew members and 6 passengers, will be classed ABS +A1 Oil Recovery Vessel Class 1, +AMS, +DPS-1, FiFi 1, Enviro, Circle E. They are the first OSRVs GPA has designed for the offshore market, and, like the other recent GPA designs, will be under an eight-year contract for Petrobras.

“The recent event in the Gulf of Mexico once again demonstrated that the industry needs to be prepared. When risk turns to reality, the companies involved have to be capable of handling such spills. As a company that highly values environmentally friendly operations, GPA is very pleased to be involved in a project that would have a positive impact in case of another incident,” says Guido Perla, chairman of GPA.

GPA says that its designs are based on well-proven single-curvature hull forms and other construction methods simplifying the building process, such as flanged plate framing and transverse framing, which allows GPA to offer a cost-effective solution to the highly competitive Brazilian market. “Well-designed hard-chined, single-curvature hulls can result in efficient operations and fuel savings. All of our offshore vessel designs, by now over 140 vessels in service or under construction, are based on these methods and have been extremely beneficial for operators worldwide,” says Paulina Alvarez, general manager of GPA Latin America.

In recent years, GPA has focused on building relationships with local operators and shipyards in Latin America and created a direct presence with subsidiaries in Chile and Brazil. These subsidiaries provide naval architecture support to the GPA headquarters in Seattle, working in conjunction with the GPA design and engineering staff, as well as providing technical assistance, and project and contract management directly to local shipyards that are currently constructing GPA designs.

 “The local market has been developing very attractive projects that we want to take part in, and therefore, we need to be prepared to support and serve our clients during the complete execution of the projects,” says Alvarez. “A local presence facilitates keeping a close liaison with clients after launch and delivery with respect to the operation and maintenance of each vessel. One of our main assets and differentiation points is that GPA has always developed special solutions that suit each client’s needs, therefore it is of advantage for us to be closer and more accessible to our clients in order to get a better understanding of their situation, needs and requirements.”