Unicontrol Active in Petrobras Rigs and FPSOs

Unicontrol Ltda is a Rutter subsidiary in Brazil that has been supplying automation and control systems and support services for Petrobras offshore rigs since the beginning of the decade.

In 2007 Unicontrol successfully renewed its contract to provide support services to 32 Petrobras platforms operating in the Campos Basin, offshore Brazil. Valued at $3.5 million, the two year contract encompasses ongoing control systems maintenance and support for these platforms and carries the option to renew for an additional two years.

“Our original contract with Petrobras began over four years ago when Unicontrol was successful in winning an initial two year $1.6 million contract, with Petrobras later taking up their option for an additional two year extension,” stated Elcio Pasqualucci, President of Unicontrol. “With no further extensions available, we were pleased to have the opportunity to again bid and win this contract with a substantial increase in value due to the increasing activity and requirements in the Campos Basin. It demonstrates that we remain competitive in the region and affirms the customer’s confidence in our people,” Pasqualucci added.

“These support contracts are particularly strategic as they offset shorter term construction cycles and establish the stable revenue streams needed to retain key personnel and be more profitable,” stated Glenn Willar, President of Rutter Engineering & Automation. “Since June 2004 Unicontrol has completed in excess of $25 million in contracts for Petrobras, and this work extends our long-term relationship with them”.

The outlook for the O&G industry is very positive and Brazil is widely viewed as the fastest growing oil and gas region worldwide. It is hoped that future contracts will extend to to provide its Oil Spill Detection and Management Systems for Petrobras oil rigs, integrating Rutter’s Sigma S6 radar processor and display with Aptomar’s infrared camera, real-time video, searchlight capabilities, and chart-based display.  The integrated system provides automatic oil spill detection and tracking, area, thickness and volume estimations as well as oil spill drift prediction, detection of boom leakage and disposition of the oil spill skimmer. This would be a great asset as Petrobras is undertaking its largest drilling campaign to date in 2011, with a $4 billion investment in order to drill 162 wells 53 of which will be offshore. There are also more the 100 production rigs in operation along the Brazilian coast and more investments in technologies geared to prevent spills and other accidents may be called for in order to maintain safe operations in this multitude of rigs.

Claudio Paschoa