Brazil’s Transpetro studying installation of new monobuoys

Brazilian fuel transport company Transpetro is studying installing new monobuoys as a solution to tackle future challenges, Adriana Andrade, executive manager of logistics integration at the Petrobras subsidiary, told BNamericas. 

A monobuoy is a kind of “floating terminal” used to moor tankers for loading and unloading oil and derivatives.

The company currently operates two monobuoys in Tramandaí, in Rio Grande do Sul state, one in São Francisco do Sul in Santa Catarina, and one in the north of Espírito Santo state near the city of São Mateus. 

“The monobuoys in southern Brazil are important for bringing in the [crude] oil and oil products that supply the region's fuel market, while the one in northern Capixaba [Espírito Santo] is responsible for transporting the region's onshore production,” Andrade said. 

Meanwhile, Transpetro is investing in technologies to optimize its equipment.

One of the projects consists of an artificial intelligence tool designed to provide an instantaneous probability of ships docking.

The real time approach significantly improves the safety and efficiency of operations, offering support to the maneuvering captain, the company says.

Transpetro has also installed GPS equipment on its monobuoys to monitor their position in real time and an automatic identification system that creates a virtual “fence” to protect the floating terminal. 

“This tool warns of possible collision risks from ships passing nearby,” Andrade added.

Another technology applied is the SDVO system, a hydraulic simulator that monitors operations in real time, enabling a faster response in the event of any abnormality, such as a leak.