By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, May 27 -- Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) reported that it has halted oil and natural gas production late Tuesday from the Brasil floating production, storage, and offloading vessel operating in Roncador field off Brazil.
Petrobras said that "an abnormality was noted in the flare stack onboard FPSO Brasil. . .indicating an effective risk to its structure and, consequently, the safety of the platform and its crew." Currently, Petrobras is inspecting the flare stack to determine the appropriate repairs needed.
FPSO Brasil went into production in December 2002 and currently produces about 95,000 b/d of oil and 1.6 million cu m/day of gas.
Petrobras gave no indication as to when production would resume.
The plant was inertized and depressurized Wednesday to allow safe access to the flare stack. Also, due to weather conditions, "it has still not been possible to identify the problem precisely or to assess the time necessary for repairs and resumption in oil and gas production," Petrobras said.
Gas exports from the FPSO, meanwhile, had been suspended since Saturday to enable work to take place on the linking of a new stretch of gas pipeline to the main network in the northern area of the Campos basin and in line with the production program.
FPSO Brasil is owned by Single Buoy Moorings Inc., Marly, Switzerland, and was chartered by Petrobras to lift oil in the region known as Módulo 1A in Roncador field.
