By Brazil Stock Guide – Petrobras’ new floating production unit P-79 has departed from the Hanwha Ocean shipyard in Geoje-Si, South Korea, bound for the Búzios field in Brazil’s pre-salt Santos Basin. The FPSO is being towed with crew already aboard — a move designed to speed up commissioning and start-up. Arrival at the field is expected in February 2026.
Accelerating first oil
According to Petrobras’ Director of Engineering, Technology, and Innovation, Renata Baruzzi, bringing the platform already manned — as with the P-78 — has proven effective in reducing start-up time. “Our expectation is to anticipate first oil by about two months compared with our Strategic Plan,” Baruzzi said. “This reflects detailed planning, supplier coordination, and the discipline to execute.”
Boosting Búzios’ capacity
The P-79, the eighth of 12 planned units for Búzios, is expected to begin production in August 2026, lifting the field’s installed capacity by 15% to approximately 1.3 million barrels per day once both P-78 and P-79 are operational.
Located 180 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in ultra-deep waters of up to 2,100 meters, Búzios already operates six FPSOs — P-74, P-75, P-76, P-77, Almirante Barroso, and Almirante Tamandaré. In October, it surpassed 1 million barrels per day, confirming its position as Petrobras’ largest producing asset.
Global engineering effort
The P-79 project includes 14 wells — eight producers and six WAG (Water Alternating Gas) injectors. The hull was built and integrated at Hanwha Ocean, with topside modules fabricated in China, Brazil, South Korea, and Indonesia. Petrobras directors Renata Baruzzi and Sylvia Anjos visited the Korean yard recently to authorize the unit’s departure for Brazil.