Setting sail: Sao Vicente heads to Tupi for tests.
Sao Vicente sets sail for Tupi
The BW Offshore-owned floating production, storage and offloading vessel Sao Vicente is on its way to Brazil to start an extended well test on the Tupi field on 1 May.
Brazilian giant Petrobras believes the Tupi extended well test will go a long way toward answering questions about reservoir performance on the pioneering Santos basin field, and is expected to play an important role in the decision making process for designing the long term development systems there.
State-run Agencia Brasil news agency reported that drilling operations have been concluded on the well that will be used in the test, and well 3-RJS-646 is now being completed.
The floater, which was formerly known as FPSO Peace, has left Singapore and is on its way to Brazil, Agencia Brasil said.
The vessel, which can handle up to 40,000 barrels per day of crude, was converted at the Keppel Shipyard.
Petrobras has said the Tupi field harbours between 5 billion and 8 billion barrels of oil (equivalent), in a huge reservoir on Block BM-S-11. Another well now being drilled on a neighbouring prospect called Iracema could increase this estimate even more.
The Tupi consortium consists of Petrobras, BG (25%) and Galp Energia (10%).
Petrobras has found a cluster of major discoveries in the Santos basin, and there are strong indications that ExxonMobil is in the process of unearthing another giant.
The Tupi field has moved furthest along the road to full appraisal and development, but subsequent finds are likely to be even bigger, according to many industry sources.
Petrobras' current investment plan includes a targeted 2017 output figure of more than 1 million bpd from pre-salt areas alone.