Petrobras P-78 FPSO begins gas injection at Búzios field offshore Brazil
(WO) — Gas injection operations have begun on the P-78 floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel at the Búzios field offshore Brazil, marking another milestone for one of the largest deepwater developments in the Santos basin.
The milestone was reached on March 2, roughly 61 days after first oil was achieved on Dec. 31, 2025, according to project contractor Seatrium.
The P-78 vessel is designed to support production from the Búzios field, which lies about 180–230 km offshore Rio de Janeiro. The FPSO is permanently moored in approximately 2,100 m of water depth.
The unit has a processing capacity of 180,000 barrels of oil per day and 7.2 MMcm/d of natural gas, with storage capacity for about 2 MMbbl of crude oil.
Seatrium carried out fabrication, integration and commissioning work for the project across yards in Singapore, Brazil, China and South Korea.
Marlin Khiew, Executive Vice President of Seatrium Energy (Projects) and President, LATAM, said:
“Achieving First Gas Injection in record time for one of the largest FPSOs in the world is a proud and defining moment for Seatrium. It underscores the strength of our engineering capabilities, the discipline of our global execution teams, and the deep expertise we have built over decades delivering complex offshore energy assets for some of the world’s leading energy players. The Búzios field is one of the world’s most productive deepwater assets, and this milestone reinforces our value proposition as Petrobras’ key EPCC partner for Brazil’s pre-salt basin that is amongst the largest offshore energy developments globally. This achievement reflects the combined power of our global teams, as well as the strong partnership and trust we share with Petrobras.”
Gas injection is a key step in bringing the facility into full operational status and supporting reservoir pressure management for long-term production.
The P-78 forms part of Petrobras’ broader pre-salt development program in the Santos Basin, one of the world’s most prolific offshore oil regions. The vessel is one of six P-series FPSOs being built to support additional production capacity from the Búzios field.
