Petrobras and partners begin production at P-68 FPSO from Berbigão field

Petróleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) and its partners Royal Dutch Shell, Total and Petrogal Brasil have started oil and gas production start at the P-68 floating production, storage, and offloading unit (P-68 FPSO) from the Berbigão field at the BM-S-11-A concession (lara license) in the Brazilian pre-salt Santos Basin.

The P-68 FPSO is the fourth platform to be brought into production by Petrobras this year after the P-67 platform began production from the Lula field, and the P-76 and P-77 platforms started production from the Buzios field.

Petrobras, the Brazilian national oil company with a stake of 42.5% is the operator of the BM-S-11A concession. Shell’s subsidiary Shell Brasil Petróleo holds a 25% stake, while Total and Petrogal Brasil have stakes of 22.5% and 10%, respectively, in the offshore Brazilian concession that is made up of the Berbigão, Sururu, and West Atapu fields.

The P-68 FPSO has a processing capacity of up to 150,000 barrels per day and compression capacity of up to six million m³ of natural gas. It is located nearly
230 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, at a water depth of 2,280 meters.

The P-68 FPSO, which has dimensions of 316m in length and 54m in width, was constructed by Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz – a fully owned shipyard subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine. The vessel has a storage capacity of 1.6-million-barrels and can house 154 persons.

Arnaud Breuillac – Total President Exploration & Production said: “First oil from Iara is a new milestone for Total in Brazil. It increases our share of production from the highly prolific pre-salt area, adding to current output from the Total-operated Lapa field, and the extended well tests under way on the Mero field.”

Photo of the P-68 FPSO

The P-68 FPSO was constructed by Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz – a subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine. Photo courtesy of Sembcorp Marine Ltd.

According to Petrobras, the P-68 FPSO interconnects to ten production wells and seven injector wells. The oil produced from the P-68 FPSO will be offloaded by shuttle tankers, while gas produced by it will be moved via the pre-salt gas pipeline routes.

New, deep-water production has come online from the Brazilian pre-salt Santos Basin. Shell Brasil Petróleo Ltda. (Shell Brasil) and its consortium partners today announced the start of oil and natural gas production at the P-68 floating production, storage, and offloading unit (FPSO), located in BM-S-11-A Concession in Berbigão, Sururu and West Atapu.

The FPSO can process up to 150,000 barrels of oil and 6 million cubic meters of natural gas daily. Operated by Petrobras, P-68 features ten producing wells and seven injection wells.

Shell said that the new production from the P-68 FPSO adds to its deep-water portfolio in Brazil. The company is also engaged in the development of the Iara field, which it says will open up a new production frontier in the Brazilian pre-salt.

Shell said that bringing the P-68 FPSO online is also the first step in the development of the large resource potential at the Sururu field.

Wael Sawan – Shell Upstream Director said: “It has been a banner year for Shell Brasil. From winning new acreage to setting records in drilling and production, the country continues to solidify its place as a heartland in our Upstream portfolio.”

“Brazil is home to some of the best deep-water opportunities in the world and we look forward to working with Petrobras and other partners to progress additional development plans.”