Marlim Leste FPSO starts up off Brazil

Guntis Moritis
Production Editor

HOUSTON, Mar. 5 -- Marlim Leste field has started producing to a second production facility Feb. 26. Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) operates the field in the Campos basin, about 120 km off Brazil.

This second facility is a leased floating production, storage, and offloading vessel, the Cidade de Niteroi MV18 FPSO, spread-moored in 1,370 m of water. Modec Inc. owns and operates the vessel.

The field went on stream in November 2008 producing to the P-53 FPSO, moored in 1,080 m of water.

The Cidade de Niteroi MV18 FPSO has a designed capacity to handle 100,000 bbl of light oil (28° gravity) and 3.5 million cu m/day of gas. It has a 1.6 million bbl storage capacity.

The FPSO is in Marlim Leste's Module II Jabuti field. Nine oil wells and one gas well eventually will connect to the FPSO.

Petrobras discovered the field in 2005. Petrobras says the discovery is important in terms of oil exploration because it was the first of several commercial oil accumulations in carbonate reservoirs found above the salt layer in the deep water of the Campos basin.

Petrobras expects peak production through the facility in 2011.

Modec said its contract for the vessel with Petrobras involves a 9-year lease with six 1-year options.

This is the fourth vessel that Modec has delivered and operates off Brazil.

The company also has two additional FPSOs under construction for Petrobras and partners: the Cidade de Santos MV20 FPSO, which will be deployed in Urugua gas field and also will gather production from the Tambau gas field; and the Cidade de Angra dos Reis MV22 FPSO, which is the pilot FPSO for the presalt Tupi area. Urugua, Tambau, and Tupi are in the Santos basin.

Contact Guntis Moritis at guntism@ogjonline.com.