Brazil: Petrobras Shuts Carioca Nordeste Well after Leak Detection
Petrobras announces that it detected a production string rupture of FPWSO Dynamic Producer at 8:30 A.M. this Tuesday (Jan 31).
The FPWSO is located approximately 300 kilometers off the coast of the state of São Paulo, where water depth reaches 2,140 meters. This vessel platform is conducting the Carioca Nordeste Extended Well Test (EWT), in the Santos Basin pre-salt region.
The well was producing with a continuous monitoring and registry system. After the rupture, the well was automatically shutdown by the safety system. The well is closed and has been secured.
A preliminary estimate indicates that 160 barrels of oil may have spilled. There is no possibility of the oil reaching the Brazilian coast.
Petrobras immediately set its Emergency Plan into action. All resources needed to collect the oil from the sea and the residual oil from the top of the column have been put into motion.
The Company has officially informed the incident to the Brazilian Navy, IBAMA and the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). The causes of the incident are under investigation.
Subsea World News Staff , February 01, 2012; Image: Repsol
