Petrobras’ production boost work bears fruit as SBM Offshore FPSO hits record output flow

October 28, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

Brazilian state-owned energy heavyweight Petrobras has confirmed a new production milestone, as a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) unit, owned by the Netherlands-based SBM Offshore, shatters output ceiling in a record-breaking run at a huge field in the pre-salt Santos Basin off the coast of Brazil.

FPSO Almirante Tamandaré; Source: SBM Offshore

While disclosing a production record at Búzios 7, Petrobras disclosed that the FPSO Almirante Tamandaré, operating at the Búzios field since February 2025 in the pre-salt layer of the Santos Basin, reached a record instantaneous production flow equivalent to 270,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) on October 25, 2025.

The FPSO’s production is said to have exceeded 250,000 bpd on average throughout October, representing a volume above its nominal capacity of 225,000 bpd. The unit, which is chartered by Petrobras from SBM Offshore, was designed to allow for production margins that enable output of up to 270,000 bpd at certain times, without the need for additional works.

“This initiative is part of a series of actions implemented by the company to increase production through efficiency gains. All such actions comply with strict safety protocols and are preceded by rigorous engineering analyses and the necessary approvals from regulatory bodies,” elaborated the Brazilian giant.

The FPSO Almirante Tamandaré is part of the Búzios 7 project, which entails the sixth production system at Búzios to begin operations and will contribute to the field reaching 1 million barrels of oil per day by the end of this year.

This asset is expected to become Petrobras’ largest production field, reaching 2 million barrels per day by 2030. The FPSO is named after Joaquim Marques Lisboa, Marquis of Tamandaré, a 19th-century military hero and admiral of Brazil’s Imperial Army.

The Búzios consortium encompasses Petrobras (operator), the Chinese partners, CNOOC and CNODC, alongside Pré-Sal Petróleo S/A (PPSA), a company responsible for managing production-sharing contracts (PSCs).

The Brazilian titan has earmarked the lion’s share of its $111 billion investment for the next five years on oil and natural gas, with the total spending within the energy transition sphere set to reach $16.3 billion.