Brazil

Landmark: World’s Largest Subsea Development

Project Overview

• Contract Award: 1991-2000 (Trees) 1996 (Manifolds)
• Sales: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Fabrication: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Service Base: Macaé, Brazil
• Host Type: Semi and FPSO
• Contract Type: EPC

Project Characteristics

• No. Trees: 129 (47 by FMC CBV)
• Water Depth: 650 to 2,600 m (2,100 to 8,500 ft)
• Tree Type: Vertical
• Tree Pressure: 5,000 psi
• Tree Bore size: 4"x2"
• Hydrocarbon: Oil/Gas

Project Ownership

• Petrobras 100%

Scope of Work

• Forty-seven (47) vertical 4"x2" 5,000 psi subsea trees
  • Nine (9) GLL-I
  • One (1) GLL-II
  • Eight (8) GLL-III
  • Twenty (20) GLL-IV
  • Six (6) GLL-V
  • Three (3) GLL-VI
    
• Two (2) multiplexed subsea gas injection manifolds
• Four (4) subsea control modules
• Sixteen (16) Pipeline End Termination Terminals (PLETs)
• One (1) Y-Pipeline End Manifold (Y-PLEM) with hydraulic ball valve
• Fifty-one (51) vertical pipeline and flowline connection modules
• System integration testing, offshore installation support and technical assistance

Comments

The Marlim Field development is located in the northeastern part of Campos Basin about 110 km (70 miles) offshore Rio de Janeiro. The Marlim Field covers an area of 130 km2 (50 miles2) with water depths ranging up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft). In March 1991, the Floating Production Unit P-13 produced the first oil from Marlim. FMC Technologies supplied the GLL-I subsea tree which achieved a new world water-depth record with the well MRL-3 located at 721 m (2,364 ft) of water.

The field development was divided in two phases. To optimize investments and physical resources, the first development phase was divided into two modules. The first module (Module I) comprised one Floating Production Unit (FPU) a newly built semisubmersible P-18 and later the FPSO P-32, a former Petrobras VLCC Tanker. Sixteen (16) production wells, twelve (12) injection wells and a subsea manifold were connected to the FPU.

Presently eight (8) FPUs are installed in Marlim, with one hundred twenty-five (125) out of the total of one hundred twenty-nine (129) wells already producing (83 production and 46 water injectors, including 36 horizontal wells).