Tweaks needed: to the P-52
Petrobras pushes back start-ups
Brazilian giant Petrobras has delayed the start-up of three floating production units with a total capacity of 460,000 barrels per day by a few weeks to allow it to carry out a number of technical adjustments.
The three units - the semi-submersible production unit P-52 and the P-54 and Cidade de Vitoria floating production, storage and offloading vessels - will now start work early next month.
Exploration and production manager Francisco Nepomuceno told Reuters the units should start up in the first two weeks of next month, adding Petrobras is still on target to hit output of 2 million barrels per day by the end of the year. It pumps around 1.8 million bpd now.
The P-52 s and P-54, which both have a capacity of 180,000 bpd, are set to operate on the Roncador heavy oil field in the Campos basin, while the Cidade de Vitoria is heading for the Golfinho light oil field in the Espirito Santo basin.
The Cidade de Vitoria, which It has a capacity of 100,000 bpd, has already been hooked up and is likely to be the first to come on stream, he added.
The P-52 is also moored in position, while the P-54 is in the final floating test phase and should set course to the field in six days, Nepomuceno said.
The units should contribute 150,000 bpd before the end of the year.
The P-52 was built by a Keppl Fels/Technip consortium, the P-54 was fabricated by Jurong Shipyards and Maua-Jurong, while the Cidade de Vitoria was supplied by Saipem under a charter contract.
Nepomuceno also said the 65,000 bpd semisub P-25, which was taken offline on 16 October for safety reasons after it started listing, was being brought back on stream ahead of the initially stipulated return date of 29 October.