GE Oil & Gas inaugurated a modern logistics base for the Brazilian oil and gas sector. Developed at a cost of more than USD 100M million, GE’s base in Niteroi in the state of Rio de Janeiro covers an area of 590,000ft2 and was designed primarily to load and unload installer ships. These vessels carry heavy equipment such as giant reels of flexible pipes, and target the mobilisation and maintenance of oil wells.
The base has a 320-ton capacity crane worth USD 7M. It is 140 feet tall, equivalent to a 14-story building. The facility also has two straddle trucks that sit high above the ground and carry cargo beneath their structure, and other equipment for moving large pipes on the ground with capacities of 300 and 350 tons each. The site has three warehouses that have a total area of 55,000ft2 for storage of accessories and parts.
The new logistics base will serve NOC Petrobras, a strategic client and partner of GE Oil & Gas in Brazil. It is positioned close to a number of key components for Petrobras such as service providers and next to Wellstream’s existing plant in Niteroi. The base also is strategically located nearby the Santos Basin in the Brazilian pre-salt area.