SBM Offshore secured a contract from Petrobras to study the application of carbon capture modules on FPSOs. Image by Alvaro Victor via iStock

SBM Offshore NV has secured a contract from Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) to study the application of carbon capture modules on floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) units. The carbon capture modules would be installed on future FPSOs deployed in Petrobras fields.

In a media release, SBM Offshore said the module design is based on an engineering and design study it conducted with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) and qualified by DNV. The design combines MHI's proprietary carbon dioxide (CO2) capture technology and SBM Offshore's Fast4ward principles.

SBM Offshore is developing a compact, modular carbon capture solution designed to significantly reduce emissions from oil and gas production on FPSOs, as part of its emissionZERO program. The study for Petrobras encompasses the design and commercial assessment of diverse carbon capture system configurations for future FPSOs deployed in Petrobras fields, considering varying turbine types and machinery setups, gas flow rates and installed gas turbine power, and CO2 concentrations and gas compositions, SBM Offshore said.

"Through this study, we will be able to advance the carbon capture module design jointly with our partner MHI for CO2 reduction on future FPSOs", Olivier Icyk, Chief Business Officer at SBM Offshore, said.

Earlier SBM Offshore made an initial equity investment in Ocean-Power AS, following a memorandum of understanding signed in June 2024. This investment grants SBM Offshore a minority ownership stake in Ocean-Power and a seat on its Board of Directors.

SBM Offshore said this is an opportunity to explore applying its carbon capture expertise in the power generation market, utilizing a readily available solution to facilitate low-carbon electricity production.