FPSOs, Innovation and the Next Offshore Frontier with SBM Offshore

On this special episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Jean-Charles Rinaldi, SBM Offshore Group Director of Sales and Marketing, and Miguel Hernandez, ABS Senior Vice President of Global Offshore, joined host Brad Cox, ABS, in the ABS booth at the 2025 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas, to discuss offshore innovation and the future of the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) sector.

Share this episode with your friends, leave a review on your favorite podcast platform, or send feedback to [e-mail]. Learn more about how ABS is supporting the offshore industry at www.eagle.org.

Key Points

• The offshore production sector is crucial for meeting global energy demands.
• Digitalization, including artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins, is transforming FPSO operations and mitigating risk.
• Innovative designs can lead to a 70-80% reduction in emissions for new FPSOs.
• The industry is committed to producing energy responsibly and sustainably.
• Future FPSOs will have lower carbon intensity compared to previous generations.
• Partnerships are vital for addressing challenges and advancing technology in offshore energy.

GUESTS

Jean-Charles Rinaldi is the Sales and Marketing Director for SBM Offshore and is responsible for Product Marketing, Business Development, Commercial and Sales activities across the Company. He joined SBM Offshore in 2008 as Concept Engineer, then took roles in Project Construction, Start-up and Commissioning before moving to Operations Readiness and FPSO Operations Management. He later joined the Commercial team and became FPSO Business Acquisition Director in 2020. Jean-Charles has over 15 years of experience in the Oil and Gas Industry, having held positions for SBM Offshore in Europe, the Middle East, China and Brazil. Jean-Charles is a Graduate in Mechanical Engineering from the Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Arts et Metiers, Paristech.

Miguel Hernandez is the Senior Vice President of Global Offshore at ABS, based in the corporate headquarters in Houston, Texas. In his current role, Miguel leads global strategic planning and client development for the offshore energy and offshore wind market sectors, with a special focus on supporting clients in the energy transition to new, greener energy solutions. Miguel has more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, including expertise in global strategic account management, offshore sales and business development. Prior to joining ABS, Miguel held numerous senior leadership positions at organizations including MODEC, SBM Offshore, and FMC Technologies where he established long term strategic vision, developed new market entry initiatives, and led worldwide account management strategies that strengthen global client portfolios.