The FPSO P-78 floating production platform arrived at the Búzios Field in the Santos Basin pre-salt area on September 30, 2025, after departing from the Benoi shipyard in Singapore on July 13. The platform was towed to its location with crew aboard, a strategy that allows for earlier production startup and increased operational reliability during commissioning.

Platform Specifications and Production Capacity

The P-78 has a production capacity of 180,000 barrels of oil per day and can compress 7.2 million cubic meters of gas daily. The platform represents the seventh unit planned for installation at the Búzios field and will join six other platforms already operating in the field: FPSOs P-74, P-75, P-76, P-77, Almirante Barroso, and Almirante Tamandaré. The field is located in ultra-deep waters of the Santos Basin, at depths of up to 2,100 meters, and is positioned 180 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state.

The Búzios 6 project comprises 13 wells: 6 producers (with 2 that can be converted to injectors), 6 WAG injectors, and 1 gas injector.

Construction and Integration Process

The hull construction took place at shipyards in Yantai and Hayang, China, and in Ulsan, South Korea, where block integration was also performed. The FPSO was then transported to a shipyard in Singapore for integration and commissioning of topside modules that were constructed in Brazil at the Seatrium Angra dos Reis shipyard (formerly Brasfels), as well as in China and Singapore.

The platform will be connected through rigid production, injection, and gas export pipelines, along with flexible pipelines for service lines and gas lift operations. Following arrival and before entering operation, anchoring and interconnection services will be performed to connect the platform with oil-producing wells, a process expected to take approximately two months.

Operational Strategy and Timeline Benefits

The crewed navigation strategy allows the platform to anticipate production startup by approximately two weeks, compared to the traditional model of stopping in sheltered waters. Transporting the vessel with crew aboard enables various complex FPSO systems to be maintained in operational condition, continues the commissioning process, and allows crew training on these systems, reducing the total time between arrival at the final location and the start of oil production.

According to Sylvia Anjos, Director of Exploration and Production, “The P-78 joins other production units to further increase production at the Búzios Field, which has already exceeded daily production of 900,000 barrels of oil.” Renata Baruzzi, Director of Engineering, Technology and Innovation, stated that “meeting the planned schedule for platform completion reinforces the importance of integrated management of our projects.”

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