Singapore-based Keppel Corporation said in a business update that it is negotiating with Petrobras for the construction of the FPSO P-78 platform in the Búzios field, in the Santos Basin pre-salt

In a Q78 business update, Singapore-based Keppel Corporation said it is in advanced talks with Petrobras for the P-XNUMX FPSO project in the Santos Basin. In January, Keppel had already made a big announcement that, as part of a new transition, it was withdrawing from the business of building pre-salt platforms. The company's division, which specializes in FPSOs and other types of facilities, will remain just a core part of the business.

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Keppel wants to add more to the offshore industry with Petrobras

According to the chief executive of Keppel Corporation, Loh Chin Hua, the company was not only looking at monetizing the platforms, but also analyzing whether it could do time charters. He says his team is hard at work, and the company is putting together a group of people who can lead these efforts, given that the skill sets required for the job are a little different from those made at the company.

According to the chief executive of Keppel Offshore & Marine, the company was in negotiations in several parts in addition to the purchase, such as the operation and leasing, it is still too early to say anything, since the charter depends a lot on the schedule of the charter contracts.

The construction of Petrobras' P-78 FPSO in the Santos Basin was a good example of keppel as an offer integrator in the offshore industry.

FPSO's in the Brazilian pre-salt

The acronym comes from the English for Floating Production Storage And Offloading. It is a platform vessel that produces, stores and transfers oil and gas and is essential for oil extraction in the pre-salt and post-salt regions. Its crew capacity can reach up to 160 people.

The FPSO's fleet in the Brazilian pre-salt consists of 23 vessels. 22 of them are chartered by Petrobras, of which 10 are owned by the company and 12 are chartered from third parties.

Santos Basin

As the largest offshore sedimentary basin in the country, the Santos basin has a total area of ​​over 350 m², with an extension that goes from Cabo Frio (RJ) to Florianópolis (SC). Petrobras' first investments in studies on production in the Santos basin began in the mid-1970s.

Through a Long Duration Test (EWT), the pre-salt operation in the Santos Basin began operating on 1^o May 2009, considered a milestone not only for Petrobras, but for all of Brazil.