January 8 - GE Oil & Gas has opened a new 54,813 sq m logistics base in Niteroi in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to serve the Brazilian oil and gas sector.

The new base was designed primarily for the loading and unloading of installer ships carrying heavy equipment, such as giant reels of flexible pipes, which target the mobilisation and maintenance of oil wells.

GE's new Brazilian facility hosts a 320-tonne capacity hammerhead crane, which required an investment of USD7 million.

Aside from its offshore capabilities, the base also features land transportation infrastructure, with two straddle trucks able to carry cargo beneath their structures, and other equipment capable of moving large pipes on the ground.

The base, which creates 250 new jobs, will serve NOC Petrobas - a strategic client and partner of GE Oil & Gas in Brazil.

www.ge-energy.com