The floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit Marechal Duque De Caxias has set sail from China to its deployment site at Mero field, in Santos Basin, offshore Brazil.
The Marechal Duque De Caxias FPSO set sail from China on February 24, 2024, according to Malaysia's MISC Berhad, which secured the chartering and services deal with Petrobras for the FPSO back in 2020.
“As MISC Group's pioneering ultra-deepwater asset, it stands as one of the largest of its kind, tailored to thrive in Brazil's challenging deepwater environment,” MISC Berhad said on social media.
Built for water depths of approximately 2,070 meters, the Marechal Duque De Caxias FPSO is able to produce 28,600 Sm³/d of oil and 12 million Sm³/d of gas per day.
The FPSO is engineered for a 30-year operational lifespan without the need for dry docking, according to MISC Berhad.
It will be installed at Mero 3, which belongs to the Libra Block, as part of the development of the block's southern portion.
Mero field will feature five FPSOs. The FPSO Guanabara has been installed and producing since 2022. The Mero field holds not only the FPSO Guanabara but also the FPSO Pioneiro de Libra, which operates the Early Production System (SPA 2), and is producing 50 thousand bpd.
The FPSO Sepetiba has started production late in 2023.
The Marechal Duque De Caxias FPSO will be installed in 2024, with the final Mero 4 (PSO Alexandre de Gusmão) set to start production in 2025.
Mero is Brazil's third largest field by volume of oil in place - with the larger ones being Tupi and Búzios, also located in the Santos Basin pre-salt.
The operations of the unitized Mero field are conducted by the consortium operated by Petrobras (38.6%), in partnership with Shell Brasil Petróleo (19.3%), TotalEnergies EP Brasil (19.3%), CNODC Brasil Petróleo e Gás (9.65%), CNOOC Petroleum Brasil (9.65%) and Pré-Sal Petróleo S. (PPSA) (3.5%) as the Brazilian Government's representative.