The Largest Oil Platform in Brazil Processes 225,000 Barrels Per Day and Was Built with Financing of $1.63 Billion

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 30/06/2025 at 21:15

A Maior Plataforma de Petróleo no Brasil: A História do FPSO Almirante Tamandaré, o Gigante de Búzios

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With Capacity to Process 225 Thousand Barrels of Oil Per Day, the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré Began Operations in February 2025, Consolidating Itself as the Largest Oil Platform in Brazil.

In early 2025, Brazil’s energy industry reached a new milestone. The FPSO Almirante Tamandaré, the largest oil platform in Brazil in production capacity, was put into operation. The unit, which operates in the strategic Búzios field in the pre-salt layer of the Santos Basin, is not only an engineering colossus but also a pillar for the country’s strategy to consolidate itself as a global energy powerhouse.

The story of the platform, from its construction in China to the beginning of its production, is an example of the complex logistics and cutting-edge technology required to extract the “black gold” from the ultra-deep waters off the Brazilian coast.

What Is the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré? The Numbers of the New Largest Oil Platform in Brazil

The FPSO Almirante Tamandaré is a Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading Unit. In simple terms, it is a platform vessel designed to operate offshore. Its numbers confirm its status as the largest in the country:

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The Engineering of the Business: A Project by SBM Offshore Chartered by Petrobras

The Largest Oil Platform in Brazil Processes 225 Thousand Barrels per Day and Was Built with Financing of US$ 1.63 Billion

A curious fact about the largest oil platform in Brazil is that it does not belong to Petrobras. The unit is owned by a consortium led by the Dutch company SBM Offshore, one of the largest in the industry.

Petrobras, as the operator of the field, uses the platform through a long-term charter contract, lasting 26.25 years. This business model is common in the industry and allows Petrobras to focus its investments on exploration and production, while SBM Offshore, which financed the construction with a loan of US$ 1.63 billion, manages the platform’s operation.

The Journey from China to Brazil: The Timeline of Construction and Installation

Building a giant like the Almirante Tamandaré is a global operation. The platform was constructed at the Chinese shipyard China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI).

Its journey to Brazil began on July 31, 2024. After a long transoceanic voyage, the platform arrived off the coast of Espírito Santo on October 25, 2024 for customs procedures. The complex anchoring operation at the Búzios Field was completed on December 13, 2024.

The Start in 2025: The First Oil and the Beginning of Operations

With the platform installed, the final step was obtaining regulatory licenses. Ibama granted the Operating License in December 2024. The final approval from the National Agency of Petroleum (ANP) came on February 14, 2025.

Just one day later, on February 15, 2025, Petrobras announced the “first oil”, marking the official start of production from the largest oil platform in Brazil.

More Than Size: Cutting-Edge Technology and a Focus on Sustainability

The FPSO Almirante Tamandaré stands out not only for its scale but also for its technology. The project was based on SBM’s Fast4Ward® concept, which uses a standardized hull to accelerate construction and reduce costs.

Moreover, the platform was designed with a strong focus on sustainability. It features a closed flare system that utilizes gas rather than burning it, and technologies for heat recovery, which reduce carbon emissions. For these reasons, the Almirante Tamandaré was the first platform in Brazil to receive the “Sustainability-1 Notation” from Bureau Veritas, a recognition of its environmentally advanced design.

The Largest Oil Platform in Brazil Processes 225,000 Barrels Per Day and Was Built with Financing of $1.63 Billion

With Capacity to Process 225 Thousand Barrels of Oil Per Day, the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré Began Operations in February 2025, Consolidating Itself as the Largest Oil Platform in Brazil.

What Is the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré? The Numbers of the New Largest Oil Platform in Brazil

The Engineering of the Business: A Project by SBM Offshore Chartered by Petrobras

The Journey from China to Brazil: The Timeline of Construction and Installation

The Start in 2025: The First Oil and the Beginning of Operations

More Than Size: Cutting-Edge Technology and a Focus on Sustainability

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The Largest Oil Platform in Brazil Processes 225,000 Barrels Per Day and Was Built with Financing of $1.63 Billion

With Capacity to Process 225 Thousand Barrels of Oil Per Day, the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré Began Operations in February 2025, Consolidating Itself as the Largest Oil Platform in Brazil.

What Is the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré? The Numbers of the New Largest Oil Platform in Brazil

The Engineering of the Business: A Project by SBM Offshore Chartered by Petrobras

The Journey from China to Brazil: The Timeline of Construction and Installation

The Start in 2025: The First Oil and the Beginning of Operations

More Than Size: Cutting-Edge Technology and a Focus on Sustainability

Seven world powers including the US, China, and Russia are spending €22 billion on a reactor in the south of France that aims to confine plasma at 150 million degrees Celsius, ten times the temperature of the Sun’s core, using a magnetic field capable of lifting an entire aircraft carrier.

Elon Musk’s internet comes to mobile: Starlink technology connects smartphones without an antenna via satellite, works even without carrier signal, already costs just US$10 extra in the US, and could arrive in Brazil as an included benefit.

A Chinese factory in Guangdong is assembling a humanoid robot every 30 minutes while Tesla, Figure, and Boston Dynamics still struggle to deliver 10 thousand per year.

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

With a wingspan of 152 meters, 76 tires, and a capacity to carry 1,270 tons, the Boeing Pelican was the giant “flying ship” that promised to cross oceans close to the water on an invisible air cushion beneath its wings.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

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