Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) started production of 18° gravity oil to the semisubmersible P-56 platform in the Campos Basin's Marlim Sul Module 3 off Brazil. The first production is from well 7-MLS-163HPRJS, which has a capacity to produce as much as 16,000 bo/d.

Installed in 1,670 m of water about 120 km offshore, Petrobras designed the platform to process as much as 100,000 bo/d, which it expects to reach in first-quarter 2012. The platform also can process as much as 6 million cu m/day of associated gas.

Petrobras plans to tie in 10 producing wells and 11 water injection wells to the platform. The company will pipe the oil 20 km to the P-38 floating oil storage and offloading vessel. Shuttle tankers will offload the oil and gas will be piped to the Cabiunas terminal.

The hull of P-56 was built entirely in Brazil and the topsides have a 72.9% Brazilian content (OGJ Online, June 3, 2011).