Monobuoys Arrive at San Antonio Este to Export Vaca Muerta Crude via Punta Colorada
The offshore export system for the Vaca Muerta Oil Sur (VMOS) project received its central component: the two monobuoys designed to operate off the coast of Punta Colorada, in Rio Negro, arrived at the Port of San Antonio Este. The arrival of this equipment marks a significant milestone in the development of the megaproject energy infrastructure, as it will enable the entry of large oil tankers known as VLCC for the first time in the country.
The landing at the Patagonian maritime terminal is the culmination of complex international logistics. In late September, the structures departed from the United Arab Emirates, crossed the Strait of Hormuz, and made port in Cape Town, South Africa, before undertaking the final leg to Argentina.
A strategic component for energy exports
According to project officials, the arrival of the monobuoys represents a decisive step in building a logistics scheme capable of supporting the growth of unconventional production and enhancing the placement of Argentine crude in international markets.
The monobuoys are a strategic component of VMOS export infrastructure. Their arrival in Rio Negro marks a new step in building an international-scale logistics solution that will support production growth and enhance the country's energy exports
CALM technology and giant vessels: how the system will operate
The structures, manufactured in the Middle East by Dutch company Bluewater, have colossal dimensions: each monobuoy weighs 272 tons and has a 15.3-meter diameter. These are CALM (Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring) structures, also known as Turret CALM Buoys, a technology widely used in offshore oil terminals worldwide.
The main advantage of this system is that it allows tanker vessels to moor and load crude directly in open sea, without requiring construction of a conventional fixed pier on shore. Once the assembly phase is completed, the buoys will be installed approximately seven kilometers offshore, in the San Matías Gulf. To ensure stability and operational safety under demanding marine conditions, each will be anchored to the seabed with six high-capacity anchors.
Through large-diameter flexible pipelines, operated with remote monitoring and control equipment, crude will reach the buoys from subsea structures called PLEM (Pipeline End Manifold), whose installation is already underway. These systems will function as the connection point between the onshore pipeline and the marine loading system.
The entire infrastructure is designed to accommodate VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) vessels, ships capable of transporting up to two million barrels of crude per voyage, which will enhance the country's export competitiveness by enabling larger-scale loadings than those permitted by existing conventional ports in Argentina.
Crossing the oceans aboard the Jumbo Javelin
Transporting equipment of this magnitude required contracting a specialized vessel. According to data observed through the MarineTraffic platform, the ocean transport was carried out by the Jumbo Javelin, a Dutch-flagged cargo ship with a 144-meter length overall. To handle the heavy monobuoys autonomously in ports, the vessel is equipped with two onboard cranes, each with a 900-ton lifting capacity.
The vessel's route was directly affected by global geopolitical tensions. When departing from the factory in the United Arab Emirates, the cargo ship had to navigate through the Strait of Hormuz, a scene of recent tensions between the United States and Iran, a situation that caused declines in general maritime traffic in the zone and increased operational risks for hydrocarbon sector-related transports.
Directional drilling beneath the beach and Rio Negro oversight
As the buoys begin their stockpiling phase at San Antonio Este, civil works are advancing in provincial territory for the onshore pipeline that will feed them. Crude extracted from Vaca Muerta deposits will begin its journey in Allen, which will function as one of the central operation points of the system. From that location the oil will be propelled and, once the pipeline is fully completed, the hydrocarbon will take approximately 48 hours to complete the journey to the Atlantic coast.
To mitigate environmental impact on the coastal front, the connection between the continent and the sea is being performed using an engineering technique called Horizontal Directional Drilling. This method allows the pipeline to be placed beneath the beach and seabed without requiring open-trench excavation. In this way, the pipe will emerge underwater at a distance of between 700 and 750 meters from shore, and from that point the final pipeline will extend offshore toward the PLEMs.
The simultaneous progress of works on land and sea confirms that the VMOS project is entering an assembly and pre-installation phase that precedes the operational startup of the export system, a development that the Rio Negro province and the national oil sector are closely monitoring for its potential impact on unconventional crude export logistics.