Fire Shuts Down Brazilian FPSO

Brazilian oil workers' union Sindipetro-NF has reported a fire and subsequent shutdown on Petrobras' FPSO P-48 in the Campos Basin, at the Barracuda/Caratinga fields.  

The fire reportedly started at 1330 hours local time on Thursday, just after a shut down of the unit, on the starboard side of Module 04. According to an SMS manager, "the  emergency alarm sounded and the fire brigade [began firefighting efforts]. A fire-fighting vessel is next to the unit [to assist]. The union said that no serious injuries had been reported; it added that will participate in the subsequent investigation, and that if it  suspects negligence or any other crime, it intends to begin a lawsuit. 

Petrobras confirmed the incident and said that there is no estimate of when it will restart oil and natural gas output. The firm not say how much production was affected. The fire was quickly controlled, Petrobras said, adding that one member of the fire brigade was treated for light injuries before returning to work.

The P-48 floating production, storage and offloading ship (FPSO) produced an average of nearly 50,000 barrels per day in the 12 months ending January 31, according to data from Brazil's oil regulator, ANP.

The oil output was about two percent of Petrobras' average daily oil output in Brazil in the same period. The announcement comes at the same time as leaked news of massive layoffs at the state-owned oil giant, totaling to some 12,000 positions. 

Images courtesy Construção e Reparação Naval