From China to Brazil: how load cells are ensuring global delivery of vital equipment
We sometimes get a bit complacent about the role of load cells in weighing vital shipments. So it sometimes takes a truly massive shipment to remind us!
Petróleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) required a new Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel (FPSO) to develop the Buzios oilfield in Brazil’s Santo basin. Named P-79, this is a massive FPSO, with modules built around the world and shipped to various locations to be integrated into the final vessel.
Moving modules
Thirteen modules were assembled by Chinese contractor Offshore Oil Engineering Company (COOEC) in China and shipped to the Hanwha Ocean Geoje Island ship yard in South Korea. These topside modules were to be integrated into the hull in Korea.
At every stage of their construction and delivery, load cells would have been checking that the multiple cranes involved were capable of taking the weight. There’s a great picture of the Chinese shipyard and the modules on a ship here: (1)
Heavy lifting and a hefty price tag
Originally commissioned from Saipem in a joint construction venture with Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering (DSME) in 2021, the whole P-79 FPSO project is worth approximately 2.3 billion USD. (2)
Loading the massive modules required specialist expertise in heavy lift and transport engineering, which is why Saipem in turn contracted the moving and lifting of five modules to Sarens.
“For the project, Sarens deployed 136 axle lines of SPMTs, eight power pack units (PPUs), and 20 load cells. Their manoeuvrability and heavy transport capacity were key factors, given that the modules weighed between 1,400-4,000 tonnes.”
What we love about these stats is that 136 axle lines were used, and only 20 load cells!
Do you know the way to São José?
The shipments of lifting gear consisted of equipment originating from Norway, the UK, and Belgium, before setting sail for the Estaleiro EBR (EBR Shipyard) in São José do Norte, Brazil. This was not a straightforward delivery job, as Heavy Lift and Project Forwarding International magazine reported, (3) due to the remote location of the shipyard and the only access being via boat and ferry.
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FAQs on heavy lifts and SPMTs
According to a post by Oil and Gas Industry at LinkedIn:
“The FPSO will allow initial separation of gas from the oil extracted in the deep offshore reservoir and will have a production capacity of 180,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 7.2 million cubic metres of (mcbm) gas per day, with a storage capacity of two million barrels of oil.” (2)
A Self-Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT) is actually a series of axle lines working together to transport very large and heavy loads very slowly, from bridges to space rockets. Each axle line can take up to a maximum 44 tons, as as equipment manufacturers Mammoet explain:
“Each module can be fitted with its own engine and control (steering) system. The modules can be connected side-by-side and/or head-to-tail, to form large ‘platforms on wheels. SPMTs have the possibility of 360-degree steering of the wheels.” (4)
You can see the datasheet for the amazing SPMTs as used in Brazil here:
Check out our blogs on lifts involving heavy loads: here’s three to get you started!
Heavy lifting for heavy metal: load cells and the Metallica M72 World Tour
How do load cells keep Metallica’s M72 World Tour safe?
To me, to you… A crane to build a crane for a lifting company
From the UAE to the UK’s M25 bridge lift, we explore the world of heavy lifting.
New bridge, new opportunities: the record-breaking lift of the Ravenscraig railway bridge
How load cells played their part in moving the 5000t concrete bridge into place.
About the author
Chris Beasley is Director of Richmond Industries Ltd, designers and manufacturers of advanced load cells and force transducers for industry, governments and universities all over the world.
SOURCES:
(1) Xu, Y. (2025, January 13). Massive Brazil FPSO takes shape with modules shipped for hull integration. Upstream Online. https://www.upstreamonline.com/rigs-and-vessels/massive-brazil-fpso-takes-shape-with-modules-shipped-for-hull-integration/2-1-1763334
(2) Oil and Gas Industry. (2024, November 23). Petrobras P-79 FPSO [Post]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com
(Note: Direct post URLs on LinkedIn are often user-restricted, so APA allows the general platform URL when the specific one isn’t public.)
(3) Allen, J. (2025, October 21). Sarens loads out quintet of modules in Brazil. Heavy Lift and Project Forwarding International. https://www.heavyliftpfi.com
(If a specific article link exists, you can replace the base domain with the full URL.)
(4) Mammoet. (n.d.). Self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT). Retrieved October 20, 2025, from https://www.mammoet.com/equipment/transport/self-propelled-modular-transporter/spmt/
