On March 18, 19 new maritime cargo arms and equipment for the retrofitting of five existing Transpetro arms arrived at the Madre de Deus Maritime Terminal (Temadre), in Bahia. The equipment is from FMC Technologies Ltd., a French company, exclusively represented by Fluxo in Brazil. The supply is part of a broad program to modernize Transpetro's terminals, which aims at excellence in safety, environment and health (SMS).
The FMC arms represent the “state of the art” in the field. On piers PP1, PP2, PP3 and PS3, where they will replace the old ones, the arms will have automatic and remote operation, which allows them to be connected or disconnected from the ships' “manifolds”, without spilling products into the sea. The arms have an electronic operational safety system that allows them to be automatically disconnected from the ship in an emergency, when the ship accidentally leaves the pier. The system prevents equipment breakage, as well as accidents and risks to the environment. The supply will be ten 16” x 65' arms, four 12” x 65' arms, three 8” x 65' arms and two 8” x 55' arms. The retrofitting of the five arms that will be used includes the introduction of Quick Connect/Disconnect Coupler QCDC hydraulic couplings for automatic and remote operation.
The arms will be used in the loading and unloading of gasoline, diesel, naphtha, n‑paraffin, kerosene, paraffin, lubricating oils, fuel oil, petroleum, rare and thinners. FMC is the world leader in the sector and also has the largest market share in the Brazilian market.