Petrobras Approach to FPSO Cost Reduction

摘要

The standardization process was initiated nearly a decade ago under a thriving scene of the oil industry. At that time, Petrobras had already had a long experience designing, contracting and participating in offshore production units. This vast experience showed that eventual optimization obtained with tailor made solutions tended to lose attractivity, regarding schedules and costs, when compared with identical projects. This perception motivated a movement towards standardization and a radical change in design philosophy. This initiative has proven to be applicable to a wide range of crudes and several units have been contracted since. The first standardized projects developed by Petrobras, were the P-58 and P-62 FPSOs, two similar units to operate at Baleia Azul and Roncador fields, respectively. These units are operating with very good results. Since then, eight Replicants were contracted to Brazilian shipyards and the first unit should be producing next year. Despite the success of standardization, in current scenario of cost reduction, incrementing the capacity of new FPSO units is a major option to be evaluated. In this context, this paper will present Petrobras strategy towards EPC of its FPSOs and how cost reduction is planned. Future trends will also be discussed.