Petrobras stopped production from its P-31 floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit offshore Rio de Janeiro for the second time this month, after gas and oil leaks occurred earlier this week, according to the Sindipetro Norte Fluminense union.
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TThe Petrobras P-31. Image courtesy of Sofec. |
The P-31 FPSO is located in the Albacora field, in the Campos basin, just northeast of Rio de Janeiro at 330m water depth.
The latest leak occurred in the early morning hours of 19 January in what Petrobras said is a mixture of oil and water that may have happened in the pump room, the union said.
The first leak occurred on 11 January, just eight days prior to the 19 January incident. According to Sindipetro, the presence of gas activated the alarm on the FPSO, in which environmental sensors showed a 100% reading. The smell of gas was noticeable throughout the room, and the incident lasted for about three hours.
According to the Brazil’s petroleum regulator ANP, Petrobras operates the Albacora field with 100% interest.
The two incidents on the P-31 are similar to what occurred in February 2015 on the BW ƶijϻ Cidade São Mateus FPSO, offshore Brazil that killed nine people, and seriously injured dozens of workers. BW ƶijϻ operated the the FPSO for Petrobras.
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