Petrobras is looking to issue a long-awaited US $1 Bn contract for the integration and construction of topsides modules for two of its deepwater Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels destined for the Brazilian pre-salt Santos Basin by the end of this month.

DI hears the state-owned major has decided to award a joint contract covering the same work on both FPSO units, the P-74 and P-76. Domestic player EBR is out in front as the likely winner after submitting the lowest bid in the tender, it is understood, with the shipyard expected to hear officially within the next few weeks.

There were seven other bidders for the work, including Jurong Shipyard, Quip, Technip-Techint, Engevix, Andrade Gutierrez-GDK and CMO Construcao e Montagem. Petrobras originally received bids from the contractors in September but stalled the process while it also waited to see bids for a tender issued later.

That tender was for a similar contract covering the P-75 and P-77 FPSOs, for which an award is expected to follow soon after. It also featured additional bidders including the Enseada do Paraguacu consortium, Keppel Fels, Mendes Junior and OSX, with no clear front runner for that deal yet emerging.

Three of the floating production systems will be installed in the Franco field area while the other, the P-76, will be located on Tupi North-East.

EBR, Quip and Engevix offered their respective shipyards in southern Rio Grande do Sul state, while Jurong offered its new yard in Espirito Santo state, Technip-Techint offered its Paranagua yard in Parana state, and Andrade Gutierrez-GDK wanted to take the work to Bahia state.

The schedule, according to Petrobras, is to have the P-74 and P-75 producing by late 2016, with the other two operational by 2017, although there are increasing concerns that this schedule may slip slightly, DI hears.

The four FPSO hulls are currently being converted by the Enseada do Paraguacu consortium (Odebrecht, OAS and UTC) at the Inhauma drydock facility in Rio de Janeiro state.

The topsides for all four floaters will have a production capacity per unit of 150,000 b/d of oil, 7 Mcm/d of gas and 1.4 MMbbl oil storage capacity.