(WO) – Jumbo Offshore has completed its transport and installation scope for the Vaca Muerta Oil Sur (VMOS) project in Argentina. The project is a new oil export terminal near Punta Colorada that will be linked to the Vaca Muerta formation by a 437-km (272-mi) pipeline.
Under contract to Altius S.A., Jumbo used its DP2 heavy-lift vessel Jumbo Javelin to transport two CALM buoys weighing about 340 t each and two pipeline end manifolds (PLEMs) weighing up to 232 t. The cargo was loaded in Muscat, Oman, in a ship-to-ship heavy-lift operation, and the vessel then sailed to Argentina via the Cape of Good Hope. Once there, Jumbo installed both PLEMs in about 40 m (131 ft) of water and offloaded both buoys.
The VMOS marine terminal, about 5 km to 8 km (3 mi to 5 mi) off Punta Colorada, will load Vaca Muerta crude onto very large crude carriers (VLCCs). It is designed for an initial capacity of up to 550,000 bpd, with potential to expand to 700,000 bpd.
“From the ship-to-ship loading operation in Muscat and the safe transport of the CALM buoys and PLEMs, to the successful offshore installation of both PLEMs and discharge of the buoys in Argentina, it has been a tremendous team effort,” said Freek Muurling, project manager at Jumbo Offshore.
Work continues on the wider VMOS development, which is backed by a group of Vaca Muerta producers including YPF and Chevron, ahead of the terminal’s startup and first oil exports.
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