Oil exploration and production records, pioneering work and safety systems in the Cascade and Chinook fields, in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, were highlights at the 2013 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC 2013) technical session held this Monday, May 6, in Houston (USA).

The first presentation, "The Development and Production of Cascade and Chinook Fields in the Gulf of Mexico - an Overview", by Cesar Palagi, Petrobras America's manager for the Cascade and Chinook project, showed the project records, which installed the first FPSO (Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading vessel) in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. FPSO BW Pioneer is the unit producing in the deepest waters worldwide (2,500 meters) and is connected to the world's deepest gas pipeline. Palagi also highlighted the pioneering work in using shuttle tankers to transport oil in the United States.

The safety made possible by the FPSO's mooring system was emphasized in the session: "If there is a hurricane, for example, the FPSO can be disconnected", Palagi said. The vessel has a detachable anchoring system that allows it to go to sheltered waters during hurricanes and storms, making it safe for the crew and the environment, while also protecting the equipment.

The lecture was followed by the presentations 'Cascade and Chinook Subsea Development - a Challenging and Successful Case History'; 'Drilling and Completing Wells in the Cascade and Chinook Project - A Design and Execution Case History', 'First Floating, Production Storage and Offloading vessel in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico'; 'Shuttle Tankers in the Oil Export of Cascade and Chinook Fields' and 'Cascade and Chinook Fields: Integrated Overview of the Reservoirs', which were presented, respectively, by Petrobras America representatives Sergio Porciúncula, Flávio de Moraes, Jeremiah Daniel, Dalmo Barros and Mauro Becker.

About Cascade and Chinook

With reserves having geological ages between 23 and 65 million years, Cascade and Chinook are located on a promising offshore exploratory frontier in the Gulf of Mexico, at a water depth of approximately 8,000 meters. Petrobras owns 100% of the Cascade field – which started production in February 2012 - and 66.67% of the Chinook field - which started production in September 2012 - in partnership with Total, which holds the remaining 33.33%. The operation in this region strengthened Petrobras' presence as one of the main players in the ultra-deepwater of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.