FPSO set to work at world’s ‘largest deepwater field’ ready for next construction stage

Singapore’s offshore marine solutions company PACC Offshore Services Holdings (POSH), part of the Kuok Maritime Group, has completed the towing of a hull for a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit from China to Singapore. The vessel is slated to work at a Brazilian deepwater field with Brazil’s state-owned energy giant, Petrobras.

Towed by the POSH Commander and the POSH Champion vessels, the hull for the high-capacity P-80 FPSO was transported to Singapore for topside integration and commissioning, POSH reported. China’s CIMC Raffles was in charge of the hull construction.

With a 345-meter length and weighing over 90,000 tonnes, the P-80 is described as one of the largest FPSOs globally, as it can process 225,000 barrels of oil per day and handle 12 million cubic meters of gas.

Keppel Shipyard won an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the FPSO P-80 in 2022. Once Sembcorp Marine and Keppel merged, the contract was transferred to the orderbook of the new company, which we now know as Seatrium.

The new FPSO is expected to start operating in 2026, when it is scheduled to become the ninth FPSO working in the Búzios field. Petrobras claims this is the largest deepwater field in the world.

The vessel is said to be a part of the Brazilian major’s new generation of FPSOs. These are set to feature technologies such as zero routine flaring and venting, variable speed drives, and measures to control emissions and capture CO2, increasing energy efficiency to achieve a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity.

Búzios, which began operating in 2018, is the second field in terms of production volume and reserves in Brazil, behind the Tupi field, according to Petrobras. The deepwater field is operated by Petrobras (88.98% stake), in partnership with CNOOC (7.34%) and CNPC (3.67%), with Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA) as the manager.

Six vessels are currently working at Búzios. Almirante Tamandaré, the latest vessel to join the working fleet after P-74, P-75, P-76, P-77, and Almirante Barroso, started producing in February 2025.

Shortly after that, the Brazilian giant reported a record of 800 thousand barrels of oil produced daily at the field. That same month, the Brazilian giant confirmed a new oil discovery in the western region of the field.