Brazilian oil and gas company Petrobras has put into operation its new floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel P-71, ahead of the expected start of production in 2023.
Photo: Felipe Gaspar/ Source: Petrobras
The P-71 platform vessel started production on Wednesday, 21 December. It is installed in the Itapu field in the Santos Basin pre-salt area, 200 kilometers offshore the coast of Rio de Janeiro.
According to Petrobras, the P-71 has the capacity to process up to 150,000 barrels of oil and 6 million m³ of gas per day. Measuring 316 meters in length, the vessel has a 1.6-million-barrel storage capacity and can accommodate 166 persons.
Positioned in a water depth of 2,010 meters, the FPSO will be the only one to produce in the Itapu field, fully operated by Petrobras.
The unit is expected to reach its maximum production capacity in 2023.
“We were able to anticipate the production of the P-71 platform, which was originally scheduled for 2023. We will also be able to anticipate the ramp-up (production evolution), which is excellent news not only for Petrobras but also for the country, which will receive the royalties from this production earlier,” said Petrobras’ Chief Production Development Officer, João Henrique Rittershaussen.
