IBP 1105_19

LOGISTICS FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE

RIGHT-OF-WAY (ROW) IN THE NORTHERN
REGION.
Alexandre, José S.F. , Araújo, Luis F.S. 2,
1

Moura, Marco A. N., 3

Copyright 2019, Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute - IBP

This Technical Paper was prepared for presentation at the Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019, held
between 03 and 05 of September, in Rio de Janeiro. This Technical Paper was selected for presentation by the
Technical Committee of the event according to the information contained in the final paper submitted by the
author(s). The organizers are not supposed to translate or correct the submitted papers. The material as it is
presented, does not necessarily represent Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute’ opinion, or that of its
Members or Representatives. Authors consent to the publication of this Technical Paper in the Rio Pipeline
Conference and Exhibition 2019.

Abstract

The Northern Region of Brazil presents peculiar characteristics related to logistics due
to the large amount of rivers and their seasonality (flood and ebb), as well as the wild
environment and tropical forest climate. In this context, approximately 1360 kilometers of
pipelines are inserted between Urucu and Manaus, where the challenge to perform maintenance
is only overdue with the use of unique logistical resources, combined with a dynamic and
versatile planning without giving up operations safety and with respect to the environment.
Thus, the objective of this work is to present some alternatives adopted by the Right-of-Way
(ROW) Maintenance Team to overcome the challenges imposed by the Amazon Rainforest to
carry out its activities.

Keywords: Right-of-Way (ROW). Logistics. Maintenance.

1. Introduction

The Right-of-Way (ROW) of the Northern Region operated by Transpetro (Petrobras

Transporte S.A) is fully inserted in Amazonas, the largest Brazilian state with an area of
1.559.161,682 Km², and covers about 18,32% of the national territory. In addition to its
immense territorial extension, the State is part of the Amazon Basin that is the largest
hydrographic basin in the world and accounts for 12% of all fresh water on the planet.
Other relevant data related to the region:
- The Amazonas has 98% of its forest cover preserved;
- The average annual precipitation in the Amazon region is 3000 mm, while the
Brazilian average is around 1760 mm;
- The surface water availability in Brazil is around 78600 m³/s with 83,48%
corresponding to the contribution of the Amazon basin to the total of the Country;
- In Brazil there are 27420 Km of navigable rivers witch 18300 Km are concentrated in
the Amazon Basin;
- Low demographic density, of 2,23 hab/Km², compared to the State of Rio de Janeiro,
______________________________
1
Professional Senior Technical Level - TRANSPETRO
2
Professional Senior Superior Level - TRANSPETRO
3
Professional Senior Technical Level - TRANSPETRO
 Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019

that is 365,23 hab/Km²;

- The North is the region with the smallest road and railway network in Brazil.
Inserted in this complex diversity, the Right-of-Way of the Northern Region, located in
the central portion of the State of Amazonas in the SW-NE direction, has its beginning in the
oil-producing province of Urucu, passing through the Coari Waterway Terminal to the city of
Manaus. The Northern ROW are subdivided into two sections (Urucu-Coari and Coari-
Manaus).

Figure 01: Macrolocalization of the Northern ROW

Urucu-Coari ROW

The Urucu-Coari Right-of-Way is located in the municipality of Coari, between the

Petroleum Province of Urucu and the Coari Waterway Terminal. It has an approximated
extension of 280 kilometers, 03 pipelines in operation and 19 surface facilities with the
following characteristics:
a) Remote area and low population density;
b) Dense vegetation (Amazon Rainforest);
c) Flat relief (Amazonian Plain);
d) Few floodplain areas along this stretch;
e) It has a direct influence on the seasonality of the Urucu river basin;
Figure 02 (same place in flood and ebb of the river) shows the variation of the
seasonality.

Figure 02: Lake Aruã - Rainy season and dry season

2
 Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019

f) The average distance to the Urucu River is between 930 and 4500 meters;
g) Existence of only 03 logistical support points: Operations Base Geologist Pedro de
Moura (BOGPM) located at KM 000, Juaruna Compression Station at KM 152 and
Coari Waterway Terminal at KM 280.
The Urucu River, that is the main access road to the Right-of-Way, is a narrow and sinuous
river that suffers a predominantly pluviometric influence, having a well defined cycle (ebb and
flood), as shown in figures 03 and 04.

Figure 03: 2016 – Level of the Urucu River x Precipitation

Figure 04: 2017 – Level of the Urucu River vs Precipitation

It can be observed that the level of the Urucu River is linked to the precipitation of the
region, where the rainy season coincides with the flood level of the river (January to July) and
the dry season coincides with the ebb level of the river (July to December).

3
 Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019

Coari-Manaus ROW

The Coari-Manaus Right-of-Way is located between the cities of Coari and Manaus,
starting at the Coari Waterway Terminal and ending at the Manaus Pressure Reduction Station.
It has 09 extension lines that supply natural gas to thermoelectric plants in the state. It is about
521 kilometers long, a transportation gas pipeline in operation and 22 surface facilities with the
following characteristics:
a) Approximately 75% of its length in a remote area with low population density;
b) Dense vegetation (Amazon Rainforest);
c) Flat relief (Amazonian Plain);
d) Occurrence of several floodable areas along its path;
e) It has a direct influence of the seasonality of the Solimões river basin and of other less
significant sub basins (Piorini River, Badajós River, Cunauaru River and Manacapuru
River);
Figure 05 (same place in flood and ebb of the referred river) shows the variation of the
seasonality.

Figure 05: SDV-14 – Rainy season and Dry season

f) The average distance to the Solimões River is between 4500 and 36000 meters;
g) It crosses 08 towns of Amazonas.
The Solimões River, that is the main access to this Right-of-Way, is a great river with the
direct influence of the Andes and the precipitation of the region with a well-defined cycle (flood
and ebb).

Figure 06: 2016/2017 – Level of the Solimões River

Maintenance of the Right-of-Way requires a complex and dynamic planning, in addition

4
 Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019

to a special logistic structure to enable the activities in remote areas.

2. CHALLENGES ON PLANNING AND MAINTENANCE OF THE RIGHT-OF-WAY

The North of Brazil is known by the logistical difficulties in the development of any
activity due to the restriction of transportation modals and environmental risk. In this sense, the
ROW Maintenance Team of the Northern Region uses a flexible planning methodology that
takes into account data from the construction of the Coari-Manaus gas pipeline, from
monitoring official bodies (ANA, CPRM, INMET, among others), from the Petrobras System,
conducted studies, surveys, observations and experience of the team, regarding the dynamics
of floods and ebbs of the rivers that permeate the Right-of-Way of the Amazon. One of the
studies carried out by the Maintenance team was the characterization in relation to the
accessibility modals of the Urucu-Coari and Coari-Manaus ROWs. It was verified that about
81% of the 803 kilometers of the northern ROWs require river logistics for maintenance.

19%

81%

Land River

Figure 07: Accessibility Modes to the Urucu-Coari-Manaus ROW

In order to enable the execution of the activities, the ROW Maintenance Team
developed a peculiar way of carrying out its tasks, adopting a versatile and itinerant logistic
structure that can move along with the development of the activities on the service fronts using
the main mode of transport available. The logistics structure is composed by:
- Barge Accommodation: Structured to function as a floating hotel, it has a kitchen, a
dining room, cabins, bathrooms, a laundry, a living area, a storage room, a waste area, among
others;
- Pusher: Propelled vessel used for displacement of the barge accommodation in order
to give flexibility to activities for the constant changes of location;
- Support boats: For transporting crew from the barge accommodation to the proximities
of the ROWs. It also has a boat adapted for transporting employees in case of an emergency
(equivalent to an river ambulance);

5
 Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019

Figure 08: One of the barge accommodations

For the Urucu-Coari ROW, the river logistics for the maintenance takes into account the
variability of the Urucu River level, especially when it refers to the dry season (low river level)
and limits the draft of the vessels for navigation. Then, based on the flood and ebb periods of
the Urucu River, the ROW maintenance cycle is planned as shown below on Figure 09:

Figure 09: Urucu-Coari Right-of-Way (ROW) - realization periods

Section 01: Maintenance carried out primarily in the first half of the year (flood of the
Urucu River) in order to take advantage of the highest river levels, seen that in another period,
there is a restriction on the draft of the vessels due to the reduction of the water level associated
with the low depth of the river in this section.
Section 02: Maintenance carried out in the second half of the year (ebb of the Urucu
River), because there is usually no restriction of navigation at any time of the year.
For Coari-Manaus ROW, the logistic is more complex once different points of the
Right-of-Way have different periods to the accessibility. The maintenance does not occur
linearly due to the existence of floodable areas. Several stretches are only accessible at specific
times of the year and still depend on the river level, this is called the "runtime window". Figure
10 shows an illustrative graphic of the sections to be maintained in different periods.

6
 Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019

Figure 10: Coari-Manaus ROW - realization periods

The Amazon Basin period of total flood occurs from December to June and from July
to November occurs the ebb, but the reality is not always as simple. In the last decade weathers
phenomenon had drastically influenced the water cycle and narrowed down the alternation
between historical floods and ebbs. Due to this, the planning dynamic has to be more agile and
flexible every day.
Another logistical factor to be considered for access to the Right-of-Ways is the
association of river logistics to the walking displacement, requiring the manual transport of
water, food, equipment and other necessities to enable the execution of the services.
A typical example of displacement to reach a certain point (common to the most ROWs
of Amazon) is presented in Figures 11, 12 and 13 for visualization of the systematic execution
of maintenance services.

Figure 11: Example of displacement in the Right-of-Way (ROW)

Describing Figure 11: The barge accommodation is located on the Solimões River close
to land access. The activities start with a 1,9 km walk, followed by boat navigation for 7,5 km,
followed by a new 4,0 km walk to the activity site. The estimated time for this displacement is
approximately 320 minutes round trip.

7
 Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019

Figure 12: Example of fluvial displacement

Figure 13: Example of overland displacement

Since the service fronts are located in remote areas and involve large displacements,
which start at sunrise, a differentiated work regime has been adopted for the team with 14
uninterrupted days and 12 hours of work a day for 14 days off. Without this way, the activities
would be impracticable, due to the distance of the towns and the long displacements. All this
was decisive for the adoption of the currently used logistics structure.
In addition to the long routes, another point of attention is the exposure of the teams to
wild animals, venomous and vectors of tropical diseases. As a precautionary measure to avoid
wildlife attacks, it has been established that unaccompanied persons are not allowed to transit
through the Right-of-Ways. As a protection against stings from venomous animals, the use of
specific personal protection equipment such as long boots or leggings with splints were defined.
In order to protect against insects, it is mandatory to use repellent throughout the team and to
prevent endemic tropical diseases (malaria, leishmaniasis and yellow fever) common in remote
areas, it is mandatory to apply thermonebulization, which consists of the application of
insecticide syrup through dense haze for control of flying and creeping insects. The application
of the termonebulization takes place at 6:00 AM and at 06:00 PM in the barge accommodation,
and in the beginning of the activities in the Right-of-Ways. In addition to these, TRANSPETRO
also adopted complementary safety measures such as the incorporation of 01 Safety Technician
for front of service, 01 Nursing Technician for the barge accomodation and the availability of
01 speedboat with life support (similar to a river ambulance) per team, to safeguard the integrity
of employees.

8
 Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019

Figure 14: Examples of wild animals of the Amazon Rainforest

Faced with these many variables, it was essential to define some assumptions that would
make the maintenance of the Right-of-Way feasible and financially viable. So, in 2013, a study
was carried out to define the ideal maintenance cycle that ensures the integrity of the pipelines
optimizing human and financial resources. Another point analyzed in the study was the ideal
sizing of the teams to enable the execution of the maintenance activities with safety.
For the purpose of analysis, data was extracted from the production of the teams in the
period from 2010 to 2013, being parameterized by the following variables:
- Average number of employees per service front;
- Amount of the same works done;
- Comparative analysis between the same stretches of Right-of-Way ;
- Periodicity of maintenance from 6 to 27 months.

NORTHERN RIGHT-OF-WAY
3.500,00

3.000,00
PRODUCTIVITY BY
EMPLOYEE (m²)

2.500,00

2.000,00

1.500,00

1.000,00

500,00

-
6,0 7,0 8,0 9,0 10,0 11,0 12,0 13,0 14,0 15,0 16,0 17,0 18,0 19,0 20,0 21,0 22,0 23,0 24,0 25,0

CYCLE BETWEEN MAINTENANCE

Figure 15: Ideal Maintenance Cycle

Based on the data collected and after analysis of Figure 15, the following conclusions
were reached:
- There was an abrupt decrease in productivity for cycles of maintenance greater than or
equal to 18 months due to the marked growth of native vegetation, which would lead to
increased exposure to the risk of accidents;
- It has been identified that maintenance cycles less than 7 months imply a too high
productivity, since vegetation does not reach the ideal cutting point established by corporate
standards that is 80 centimeters high for rural areas. This fact would generate unnecessary
financial expenses;

9
 Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019

- It can be verified on Figure 15 that cycles between 8 and 12 months have a little
oscillation in the productivity and, for that reason, the period of 12 months was established as
the ideal cycle for maintenance.
Regarding the sizing of the teams, it was verified that the ideal effective for ROW
Maintenance is around 15 employees per service front. This workforce ensures a satisfactory
productivity without excessive physical effort since, in addition to the maintenance activities,
it is necessary to carry manually supplies for the field (examples: food, water, equipment, fuel,
paint, first aid kit and others).
Another peculiarity is the training of the ROW Maintenance teams for situations of
contingency or emergency involving the pipelines and facilities of TRANSPETRO. This
training aims to respond quickly to any critical event involving its assets since we are talking
about sensitive, remote and unassisted areas in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest.
All these aspects make the maintenance of the Right-of-Way in the Northern Region a
single activity that requires an additional effort of planning, investment in logistics and attention
to climate change to guarantee the integrity of the pipelines, the environment and, above all,
the teams involved.

3. Conclusion

The Maintenance of the Northern Right-of-Way differs from the others mainly due to
the peculiarities of the Amazon. The logistical difficulty and differentiated resources led the
ROW Maintenance team to think outside the box, to look for alternatives and to develop
solutions that would enable the activity without compromising the safety of the process and the
integrity of the teams.
Currently, the new challenge faced by the ROW Maintenance team is the reduction of
the exposure of the workforce to the hostile environment. An alternative that was found is the
use of new technologies to perform the services since this is the activity with the largest
contingent of people involved in the execution. Tests are under way with equipment to
minimize the number of people exposed to the risk with increased reliability in the works,
however, this change of concept demands even more planning and, eventually, some
environmental licenses may be necessary for the access of these equipment to the Right-of-
Ways.

4. References

Government of the State of Amazonas: http://www.amazonas.am.gov.br

ANA, National Water Agency: http://www3.ana.gov.br
INMET, National Institute of Meteorology: http://www.inmet.gov.br
IBGE, Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics: https://www.ibge.gov.br
CPRM, Geological Service of Brazil: http://www.cprm.gov.br/
DNIT, National Department of Transport Infrastructure: http://www.dnit.gov.br/
ANTAQ, National Waterway Transportation Agency: http://portal.antaq.gov.br/
SCIELO, The Scientific Electronic Library Online:
http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ea/v22n64/a07v2264.pdf
PETROBRAS, Internal data.

10