Latin America's oil giants betting on fiber optics to modernize offshore platforms

Petrobras and Pemex, the national oil companies of Brazil and Mexico, are each developing offshore fiber optics networks to connect their production units.

Petrobras is the more advanced in this process.

The Brazilian state company is installing a network of more than 1,600km in the Campos and Santos basins to enable, among other things, 5G connectivity on platforms, increased remote control of drones and robots, enhanced digitization and automation of processes, and reduced worker exposure to risks.

The project in both basins is being led by Brazilian specialist Blue Marine Telecom and is at different stages. In the Campos basin, for example, rollout is expected to be completed by the end of May.

As of early February, Blue Marine had installed 240km of the 448km of cables planned for the region. The fiber supplier is HMN Tech, formerly Huawei Marine Networks.

Once completed, the network will enable high-speed and secure data transmission between 12 offshore oil and gas production platforms and two onshore stations, located in Quissamã in Rio de Janeiro state and Anchieta in Espírito Santo.

The project includes a ring-shaped optical trunk cable connecting the landing stations in Anchieta and Quissamã; cables for network branches, including three potential future branches; terrestrial cables and deck modules; and umbilicals linking the 12 units: P-48, P-56, P-51, P-43, P-40, PRA-1, P-55, P-52, P-62, P-54, P-57 and P-58.

In the Santos basin, Blue Marine completed installation of the system's main trunk network, interconnecting two landing stations in Rio de Janeiro and Santos with more than 800km of subsea cables.

The total network in the Santos basin is expected to span over 1,000km of cables (850km in the main trunk, along with branches and umbilicals), connecting 13 platforms with landing stations in Praia Grande (São Paulo) and Praia da Macumba (Rio de Janeiro).

Blue Marine Telecom states that the project is one of the largest of its kind in the global oil and gas industry.

In March, Petrobras received final approval from environmental watchdog Ibama to operate both networks.

Pemex

In Mexico, Pemex is partnering with Woodside to develop connectivity for the Trion deepwater oilfield. Woodside holds a 60% stake in Trion and Pemex 40%.

In March, Tampnet, a Norwegian provider of high-capacity offshore connectivity services, was awarded the contract to develop the network for the field. According to Tampnet, the 200km of fiber cabling will support remote operations, safety and training capabilities for Trion.

"In terms of data speeds, reliability and scalability, no other technologies can compete with fiber optics, which is why offshore field developments focused on safety, minimal carbon emissions and efficiency continue to prefer and invest in fiber to shore. This project also ties in perfectly with our ambitions for geographic expansion and long-term presence in Mexico," Tampnet CEO Elie Hanna said in a statement at the time.

Tampnet currently has around 1,500km of subsea fiber deployed in the Gulf of Mexico for various offshore operations and companies. Previous contracts in the region include one with Shell for 4G coverage for the Anglo-Dutch company's oil and gas operations.

In 2021, Tampnet acquired a 1,200km offshore fiber system in the Gulf of Mexico that was previously owned by BP.

The company had also been qualified to bid for the Petrobras fiber optics contract awarded to Blue Marine (Zmax) but chose not to submit a formal offer.

Tampnet's new fiber network for the Woodside-Pemex partnership is advancing in parallel with the Trion project.

The field's development, with a total budget of US$7.2bn, was 20% complete at the end of 2024, according to a January release from Woodside Energy.