Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) announced on August 26 that a cargo transfer vessel (CTV) owned by its wholly owned subsidiary SeaLoading Holding AS, will be shared by TotalEnergies EP Brasil Ltda., which employs the vessel in its operation since 2020, with Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltda. through OSM Do Brasil Gerenciamento De Operações Marítimas Ltda.
MOL acquired 100% of SeaLoading’s shares in 2022 after entering the CTV business in 2019.
The CTV “SeaLoader 1” is employed by TotalEnergies for transferring crude oil produced by FPSOs located in the Santos Basin off the coast of Brazil to tankers. This agreement allows Shell to also use the SeaLoader 1 to discharge its cargo.
MOL considers Shell’s participation in the CTV business marks a major milestone for the future spread of CTVs in Brazil. Such a milestone was possible due to the collaboration of TotalEnergies, which was the first company to use the CTV technology in Brazil and continues to be the priority user of SeaLoader 1. To date, the two CTVs operating in Brazil have realized more than 130 successful offloading operations.
The MOL Group aims to further expand the use of CTVs, which can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and costs compared to conventional crude oil transfer using shuttle tankers, and strengthen cooperation with oil majors to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact in the supply chain from crude oil production and storage to discharging.