Papa-Terra

Papa-Terra Oil Field Profile

The Papa-Terra oil field is located in block BC-20 of the Campos Basin, approximately 110 km offshore of Brazil, in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The field is situated at a water depth of 1,190 meters (3,903 feet).

The Papa-Terra field was discovered in 2003 through the drilling of five wells and was declared commercial in 2005.
The field is estimated to contain between 700 million to a billion barrels of oil equivalent, with crude oil having an API index ranging between 14° and 17°, indicating heavy oil.
The recoverable reserves are estimated to be around 380 million barrels of oil.

Initially, Petrobras operated the field with a 62.5% interest, while Chevron held the remaining 37.5%.
In 2021, Petrobras sold the Papa-Terra field to 3R Petroleum Offshore SA for $105.6 million, with additional payments contingent on production levels and future oil prices. The sale was finalized in 2023.

The development of the field involved a significant investment of $5.2 billion, with the final investment decision made in January 2010.
The field is developed using 29 bore wells, including 16 wet completion wells and 13 dry production wells. The wet completion wells include six horizontal producers and ten water injectors.
The project includes two main production facilities:
- P-61 Tension Leg Wellhead Platform (TLWP): This is the first TLWP in Brazil and the first to use dry tree technology offshore Brazil. It was installed in 2013 and started production in March 2015. The platform connects to 13 heavy oil production wells and is moored to the seafloor by vertical anchors to suppress platform motions.
- P-63 Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) Vessel: The BW Nisa vessel was converted into the P-63 FPSO. It is 334 meters long, 57.3 meters wide, and has a capacity of 323,000 deadweight tons. The FPSO processes up to 140,000 barrels of oil per day and 35 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, with a seawater injection capacity of 340,000 barrels per day. It started producing oil in November 2013.

The P-61 TLWP was built by FloaTEC Singapore, a joint venture between Keppel FELS and J Ray McDermott, under a $1 billion contract signed in October 2009.
The P-63 FPSO was converted by a consortium of BW Offshore, QUIP, and QGOG, with AMEC providing basic engineering services for the topsides facilities. The conversion was carried out at the COSCO Shipyard in China and final integration was done in Rio Grande, Brazil.

Production from the Papa-Terra field began on November 11, 2013. The field is expected to reach peak production in 2027 and continue producing until it reaches its economic limit in 2048.
As of 2022, the field produced approximately 5.84 million barrels of oil per year.

The field also includes a tender-assisted drilling semisubmersible platform, the SS-88, built by Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. in China and Superior Derrick Services in the US, which provides drilling and well completion services.

The field is currently operated by 3R Petroleum Offshore SA, following the transfer of ownership from Petrobras. The production continues with the support of the P-61 TLWP and the P-63 FPSO.