The forward hull section of FPSO Gato do Mato has departed Sumitomo Heavy Industries' Yokosuka shipyard in Japan and is now en route to China, where it will be joined with the aft hull section currently under construction.

The departure, announced by MODEC, Inc. on July 2, 2026, marks a significant construction milestone for what will become the 19th FPSO or FSO the Tokyo-based company has developed for Brazil.

A New Approach to Hull Fabrication

The project represents the first application of MODEC's Next Generation Hull design, a proprietary concept developed by the company to improve constructability, scalability and execution efficiency in the delivery of increasingly complex offshore production vessels.

Alongside the new design, the project also marks the first time MODEC has partnered with Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine and Engineering, known as SHI-ME, on FPSO hull construction.

The strategy underpinning the project is a multi-yard construction model, in which different sections of the hull are fabricated simultaneously at separate facilities.

MODEC says this parallel fabrication approach optimizes yard capacity and enhances overall project execution while maintaining quality and safety standards.

Once the forward section arrives in China, it will be integrated with the aft section before the complete hull advances to its next construction phase. Soichi Ide, Head of Floating Production Solutions Business Unit at MODEC, described the departure of the forward section as a demonstration of what the company sees as a new direction for FPSO delivery.

"This milestone is more than the completion of a major hull section. It demonstrates how innovation and collaboration are shaping the future of FPSO delivery.

By partnering with SHI-ME on FPSO hull construction for the first time and adopting a multi-yard construction model, we are pioneering a new approach to hull fabrication that expands execution flexibility and strengthens our global delivery capabilities," Ide said.

He added that the Next Generation Hull design, combined with the project's broader execution approach, reflects a commitment to developing more resilient and efficient solutions for clients.

"Combined with our NGH design, this project reflects our commitment to continuously pushing boundaries, embracing new partnerships and delivering smarter, more resilient solutions for our clients," he said.

Vessel Specifications and Deployment Location

When completed, FPSO Gato do Mato will have a production capacity of approximately 120,000 barrels of oil per day. The vessel is designed to operate in deepwater conditions, with a planned mooring depth of around 2,000 meters. It will be positioned approximately 200 kilometers south of Rio de Janeiro and will be held in place using a SOFEC spread mooring system.

The water depth and distance from shore place the Gato do Mato deployment among the more technically demanding offshore developments in the Santos Basin, where Brazil's pre-salt oil fields have driven a significant expansion of FPSO operations over the past two decades.

Shell's Orca Field and Project Partners

FPSO Gato do Mato will be the second unit that MODEC delivers directly to Shell for operation in the Orca Field, located offshore Brazil.

The Orca development is structured as a partnership with Shell acting as the operator and Ecopetrol as a partner. PPSA, Brazil's state-owned pre-salt management company, participates as the Production Sharing Contract manager.

The arrangement reflects the structure commonly seen in Brazil's pre-salt regime, where international oil companies operate fields under production sharing agreements overseen by PPSA on behalf of the Brazilian government. Shell's role as operator places it at the center of technical and operational decision-making for the Orca Field project.

MODEC's Brazil Track Record

The Gato do Mato FPSO will extend MODEC's already substantial footprint in Brazilian offshore oil and gas production.

The vessel will become the nineteenth FPSO or FSO the company has developed for the Brazilian market, a record that reflects the central role MODEC has played in the country's deepwater production buildout since the expansion of the pre-salt layer began in earnest in the late 2000s.

Brazil has become one of the most active FPSO markets in the world, driven primarily by the scale of Petrobras-led and production sharing contract developments in the Santos and Campos basins.

MODEC's repeated engagements in the country, including its direct delivery relationship with Shell for the Orca Field, position it as one of the dominant players in Brazilian FPSO provision.

Construction Timeline and Next Steps

With the forward section now at sea and bound for the Chinese integration yard, the project moves into a phase that will see the two hull sections brought together for the first time.

The aft section is described as currently under construction at the Chinese facility, suggesting integration work will follow once the forward section arrives and preparatory work on the aft section reaches an appropriate stage.

MODEC has not specified a completion or delivery date in its announcement. The company described the forward section's departure from Yokosuka as a significant milestone, indicating that construction remains in progress across multiple locations simultaneously, consistent with the multi-yard model the company has adopted for this vessel.