Today, October 06, the P-55 left the Rio Grande Shipyard 1 (Erg-1), Rio Grande (RS), after the modules had been joined together and the platform had been commissioned, with the completion of tests and inspections to obtain the necessary certificates.

The P-55 semi-submersible is one of nine new units to be installed in the oil fields in 2013, helping to increase oil production and achieve the production target of 2.75 million barrels per day which is forecast for 2017.

With the capacity to produce 180,000 barrels of oil and treat 4 million cubic meters of gas per day, the P-55 platform will come on stream in 2013 and is one of the world's largest semi-submersibles and the largest built in Brazil.

The P-55, a project which is part of the Roncador Field Module 3 in the Campos Basin, will be anchored at a depth of about 1,800 meters and will connect to 17 wells, of which 11 are producer wells and six are water injectors. Oil and natural gas will be taken from the platform by underwater pipelines linked to the unit.

Construction work created about 5,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs and reached a level of 79% domestic content mainly due to the fact that it was built and joined together entirely in Brazil. The platform was built in two separate parts at the same time, the hull and topside, and then joined together later.

The unit's hull was built at the Atlântico Sul Shipyard (EAS), in Pernambuco, and went to ERG-1 in Rio Grande (RS) to be finished. The deck and modules were installed at ERG-1 as well as integrating the platform's systems. The Sulphate Removal and Gas Compression modules were also built there, although the CO2 Removal, Compression Booster and TEG modules were built in Niterói (RJ) and taken to Rio Grande after completion.

Joining the two main parts of the platform together (deck and hull), which is called Deck Mating, is considered the most challenging part of building a unit and one of the largest ever carried out in the world, in terms of structure weight (17,000 tons) and height (at 47,2 meters). The maneuver was carried out in the ERG-1 dry dock in June 2012.

It will take approximately 12 days to tow the P-55 to the Campos Basin, when it will start anchoring procedures and will be connected the 17 wells.

P-55 details:

Oil processing: 180,000 barrels/day
Gas treatment: 4 million m3/day
Local content: 79%
water treatment injection: 48,000 m/ day
Electricity generation: 100 MW
Water depth: 1,800 m
Number of mooring lines: 16
Number of risers: 42
Crew: 100 people
Total weight of platform: 52,000 tons
total area: approximately 10,000 square meters.
Total height: 130 meters
Job creation: 5,000 direct and 15,000 indirect