Petrobras reported that drilling ship Almirante Barroso, which operates in the Búzios field, at the Santos Basin pre-salt layer, reached peak production of 150,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) on October 24.  This result was achieved in record time: it took 146 days (less than five months) since first oil. Petrobras’ previous record was that of FPSO P-76, which reached maximum production capacity in less than eight months, also in the Búzios field. The Almirante Barroso drill ship is an FPSO, in other words, a floating production, storage and offloading unit (as per its English acronym) and began commercial production on May 31st of this year.

In the project’s submarine system, with the incorporation of innovative solutions in the installation of rigid pipelines, a 15% reduction was attained in average well interconnection time, directly contributing to the record ramp-up time.

Chartered from Modec, the rig is located 180 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, at a water depth of 1,900 meters. Petrobras is the field operator with 88.99% stake in the shared Búzios deposit, with CNOOC as partners with 7.34% and CNODC with 3.67%.

“Thanks to the commitment of our technical staff and the adoption of new technologies, we will continue to attain exceptional results in Búzios, with the implementation of eleven units with high production capacity, equipped with the most modern decarbonization technologies”, states Carlos Travassos, Chief Engineering, Technology and Innovation Officer.

Latest records – reaching top production:

– FPSO Almirante Barroso in the Búzios field, Santos Basin – Top production in 146 days (less than 5 months) – Production of 150,000 barrels per day.

– FPSO P-76, in the Búzios field, Santos Basin – Top production in 234 days (less than eight months)

– FPSO Guanabara in the Mero field, Santos Basin – Top production in 249 days (eight months) – Production of 180,000 barrels per day.

Photograph: Agência Petrobras