The FPSO Marechal Duque de Caxias has reached its peak production yesterday (May 19), hitting 180,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd). Located in Mero field, Santos Basin pre-salt, the unit sits 180 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in 2,000 meters of water depth. The ramp-up took just 201 days, a remarkable milestone for a project of this scale.
The vessel began operations in October 2023 and is the third unit of its size installed in Mero in the last 30 months. It will be connected to 15 wells, eight producers and seven injectors for water and gas, via a comprehensive subsea infrastructure. With this unit now fully operational, Mero’s production capacity surpasses 590,000 bopd, alongside the FPSOs Pioneiro de Libra, Guanabara, and Sepetiba.
According to Sylvia Anjos, Petrobras’ Director of Exploration and Production, this performance reflects the dedication of the company’s teams and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies.
Starting in 2028, it will be the first FPSO in the world to deploy HISEP (High Pressure Separation), a groundbreaking technology that allows for subsea oil and gas separation. High-CO₂-content gas is re-injected into the reservoir directly from the seabed, significantly cutting emissions while optimizing oil production.
Mero is a unitized field operated by Petrobras (38.6%) in partnership with Shell Brasil (19.3%), TotalEnergies (19.3%), CNPC Brasil (9.65%), CNOOC (9.65%), and PPSA (Pré-Sal Petróleo S/A), which holds 3.5% as the government’s representative in the non-contracted area.
Marechal Duque de Caxias: peak production
