Abstract

The remarkable heating of the Brazilian oil and gas market in recent years has led to a significant boost in the orders of offshore units (such as exploration and production platforms, drilling rigs and various types of support vessels) as well as in the construction of new shipyards or the expansion and modernization of existing ones.

In this context, entrepreneurs (operators, constructors, shipowners and shipyards) as well as governmental funding entities, financial agents and insurance companies, face new challenges, commensurate with the size and complexity of the involved projects, and their degree of innovation. In addition to the specific challenges of a more technical nature, special care should be given to those involving critical business decisions, such as the development and analysis of feasibility studies, validation of assumptions, risk analyses, insurance warranties, contract evaluation, claims and contractual amendments, construction follow-up, and physical and financial progress of projects in the marine and offshore markets.

This paper presents and discusses some important technical and economic aspects involved in these studies and typical difficulties found in projects of greater complexity, comparing and evaluating different approaches and mechanisms, and their suitability to the needs and resources of key stakeholders. The authors intend to contribute to the identification, discussion and dissemination of available best practices, comparing them with those applied in similar contexts, both in the domestic and international scenarios.

The paper also presents suggestions for the improvement and development of methodologies and tools, addressing issues of the content and format of reports and studies, as well as the support of information systems.

This content is only available via PDF.
You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.