Petrobras’ P-80 platform has begun its voyage from Singapore to Brazil, marking the first departure of a series of six giant platforms that will support oil and gas production from the pre-salt Santos basin.
According to the Brazilian oil company, the P-80 left the Tuas Boulevard yard in Singapore on September 30 and is bound for the Búzios field, Brazil’s largest field by reserves and production. The 345.3-meter-long, 60-meter-wide platform weighs more than 100,000 tonnes and can produce 225,000 barrels of oil per day and process 12 million cubic meters of gas per day.
The platform, also known as Búzios 9, is the first of six Petrobras units in the series to leave the shipyard. P-82 is next and is in the final stages of construction, with both platforms expected to begin production in 2027.
“P-80 stands out not only for having the highest production capacity among Petrobras’ own platforms, but also for bringing together some of the most advanced technologies and digital solutions that ensure greater operational and energy efficiency ever incorporated into a company project,” Renata Baruzzi, Petrobras’ director of Engineering, Technology and Innovation, said.
P-83, P-84 and P-85 will also be deployed to the Búzios, Atapu and Sépia fields in the pre-salt Santos basin.
Petrobras said building the platforms as a series reduces costs and increases shipyard productivity, while improving system reliability, reducing project risks and accelerating field development. The company is also using a strategy in which crews arrive onboard with the platforms to help ensure systems are ready for operations.
The P-80 process modules were manufactured in Brazil at the Seatrium BrasFELS shipyard in Angra dos Reis, while P-82 modules were produced at Seatrium’s Aracruz shipyard in Espírito Santo. Petrobras said the work supports workforce development and creates jobs and income through Brazil’s shipbuilding industry, while other construction activities took place in China, Singapore and Indonesia.
The platforms were contracted under an engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning model, under which the contractor is responsible for delivering the completed units for operations in Brazil.
The Búzios field, operated by Petrobras with CNOOC, CNPC and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) as partners, set monthly and daily records for natural gas exports in August, exceeding 10 million cubic meters per day on a monthly basis and reaching 14.1 million cubic meters per day on a daily basis.