Petrobras, Chevron start oil production from Papa-Terra offshore Brazil

Nov. 12, 2013
Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) and a Brazilian subsidiary of Chevron Corp. have begun crude oil production from Papa-Terra’s floating production, storage, and offloading vessel offshore Brazil.

Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) and a Brazilian subsidiary of Chevron Corp. have begun crude oil production from Papa-Terra’s floating production, storage, and offloading vessel offshore Brazil.

Papa-Terra is a heavy oil development in 3,900 ft of water on Block BC-20 in the southern Campos basin about 70 miles southeast of Rio de Janeiro. Discovered in 2003, it contains Brazil’s first tension-leg wellhead platform, the P-61, expected to begin production next year. Papa-Terra has installed capacity to produce 140,000 b/d of crude.

Petrobras initially canceled the Papa-Terra bid process in 2009 because of uncertain market conditions, suspending the tenders for building the P-61 platform and P-63 FPSO (OGJ Online, Jan. 19, 2009). A year later, the company proceeded with development (OGJ Online, Jan. 27, 2010).

The P-63 FPSO left the Quip-Honorio Bicalho shipyard in Rio Grande, Brazil, for Papa-Terra in June to assist in increasing oil production to reach Petrobras’s overall production target of 2.75 million b/d by 2017 (OGJ Online, June 20, 2013).

Petrobras is operator of Papa-Terra with 62% interest while Chevron holds 37.5%.