The fifth floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel in the Petrobras-operated Mero field has gone onstream, 2 months ahead of schedule.
Petrobras said on 24 May the FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão, which is on the pre-salt Mero field in the Santos Basin, joins the early production system and the Mero 1, Mero 2, and Mero 3 FPSOs to increase the field’s installed production capacity from 590,000 to 770,000 BOPD.
The Pioneiro de Libra early production unit and Mero 1’s Guanabara FPSO both came online in 2022, Mero 2’s Sepetiba FPSO in 2023, and Mero 3’s Marechal Duque de Caxias FPSO came online in 2024.
In March, Petrobras announced that Mero had become the operator’s third field to reach production of 500,000 BOPD.
The partners announced final investment decision for Mero 4 in 2021.
Nicolas Terraz, president of exploration and production of Mero field partner TotalEnergies, said in a news release that the Mero 4 startup “marks the end of the development of this world-class field—with the commissioning of four FPSOs in 3 years.”
The FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão, which Petrobras charters from SBM Offshore, can produce 180,000 BOPD and process 12 MMcm/D of gas. SBM, which owns and operates the FPSO with 55% interest on behalf of partners with the remaining 45% interest, said the FPSO will operate under 22½-year charter and operation services contracts with Petrobras. The FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão is SBM’s fifth Fast4Ward FPSO design to enter production.
The FPSO arrived at the Mero 4 site in March 2025 and is moored in about 2000-m water depth.
A dozen wells will be connected to the FPSO, including five oil producers and six that will alternate between gas and water injection. The final well will initially produce oil before converting to gas injection.
The FPSO will be able to operate Petrobras’ High-Pressure Separator (HISEP) technology, which is under qualification. The subsea HISEP technology separates oil from the associated carbon dioxide-rich gas, which is reinjected directly into the reservoir.
The Mero field is part of the Libra production-sharing contract signed in 2013. Petrobras operates the unitized Mero field with 38.6% interest on behalf of partners Shell Brasil with 19.3%, TotalEnergies with 19.3%, CNOOC with 9.65%, CNPC with 9.65%, and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA), which in addition to managing the contract, acts as the federal government’s representative in the noncontracted area, with 3.5%.