New FPSO achieves first oil at Petrobras’ third largest field offshore Brazil (Gallery)

Brazilian state-owned oil and gas giant Petrobras has put into operation another floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which is working at the firm’s third-largest oil field in the Santos Basin off the coast of Brazil.

After its naming ceremony in January 2024, the FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias left the shipyard in Yantai, China, in February and stopped in Mauritius, Africa, to change crew and move cargo, before reaching Brazilian waters in May 2024. With the capacity to produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil daily and compress up to 12 million cubic meters of gas, the vessel is said to be the world’s first FPSO equipped to receive high-pressure separation (HISEP) technology.

This tech is described as an innovative solution that separates CO2-rich gas from production streams and reinjects it back into the reservoir, reducing the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions. The FPSO is also equipped with water alternating gas (WAG) reinjection technology as well as stripping and reinjecting CO2 from fuel gas production, with a capacity to compress up to 48 mmscfd of CO2.

Sylvia Anjos, Petrobras’ Director of Exploration and Production, stated: “The FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias has characteristics that are very well suited to Petrobras’ current project of maintaining high levels of production, prioritizing decarbonization technologies and caring for the environment. The FPSO will be the third of its size to be installed in the Mero field in the last 30 months, which will increase its installed capacity to 590 thousand barrels of oil per day in a short period of time.”

Following commissioning procedures and final tests of production equipment, the FPSO started operations on October 30 at the Mero field’s third definitive production system, Mero-3, which is anticipated to boost the field’s installed production capacity to 590,000 barrels of oil per day in the pre-salt Santos Basin, which is part of the Libra production sharing contract, operated by Petrobras (38.6%), in partnership with Shell Brasil (19.3%), TotalEnergies (19.3%), CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC (9.65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo SA – PPSA (3.5%).

Zahid Osman, MISC Group’s President and Group Chief Executive Officer, commented: “The achievement of first oil for the FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias is a result of the unwavering dedication and expertise of our project and operation teams, along with the effective collaboration with our client and partners. I congratulate everyone involved for their dedication and commitment to achieve this milestone safely.

“This milestone is a significant achievement for the MISC Group, demonstrating our capability to deliver projects and innovative solutions in a competitive sector. We look forward to continuing this momentum and contributing to a broader global energy landscape and the world’s need for energy security.”

The FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias is planned to be connected to 15 wells, out of which eight are oil producers and seven are water and gas injectors, through a subsea infrastructure made up of 80 km of rigid production and injection pipelines, 47 km of flexible service pipelines and 44 km of control umbilical.

Petrobras intends to implement the HISEP technology in Mero’s third definitive production system from 2028, separating oil and gas at the bottom of the ocean and reinjecting CO2-rich gas. 

Nicolas Terraz, President Exploration & Production of TotalEnergies, remarked: “The production start-up of Mero-3, less than a year after the start-up Mero-2, is a new milestone for TotalEnergies in Brazil, a key growth area for our company.

“With its vast resources and world-class productivity, the Mero field delivers low cost and low emission oil production, in line with the strategy of our company. In the coming years, we will continue to grow our production in Brazil with Mero-4 project expected to start-up in 2025 and the recently sanctioned Atapu-2 and Sépia-2 projects.”

Mero, the third largest field in Brazil after Tupi and Búzios, is home to three FPSOs: Pioneiro de Libra, Guanabara, and Sepetiba. The last one was recently put into production mode. With the start-up of Mero-3, the overall production capacity of the field will reach 590,000 b/d.

An additional development phase of 180,000 b/d, Mero-4, is currently under construction, with a start-up expected in 2025. The FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias is equipped with technologies to curb emissions, such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), enabling gas rich in CO2 to be reinjected into the reservoir.

“This milestone marks a significant achievement for MISC and demonstrates our continued commitment to safety, operational excellence and innovation in the offshore oil and gas industry. FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias, one of the largest ultra-deepwater FPSOs in the world, is equipped with state-of-the-art technology designed to operate efficiently in the deepwater environment of the pre-salt Santos Basin, offshore Brazil,” outlined MISC.

Engineered for a 30-year operational lifespan without the need for dry docking, the FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias sports predictive maintenance systems, perceived to be a critical feature aimed at minimizing operational downtime by forecasting equipment failures before they occur, thereby extending machinery lifespan and significantly reducing maintenance costs.

“In line with our commitment to sustainability, energy efficiency systems have been seamlessly integrated to optimise energy consumption, thereby reducing operational costs and minimising the environmental footprint of the FPSO. Safety is the paramount value in offshore operations and this is achieved through integrated safety systems and a highly trained crew,” highlighted MISC.

Petrobras plans to bring online 14 FPSOs from 2024 to 2028 in line with its ‘Strategic Plan 2024-2028‘ showcasing the firm’s intention to spend $102 billion over the next five years, with $11.5 billion earmarked for projects propelling its decarbonization journey forward.

The start-up of the first oil from Mero-3 comes days after the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré reached Brazilian waters.

The vessel is being prepared for deployment at the Búzios field as the first high-capacity unit to be installed in the pre-salt Santos Basin off the coast of Brazil.