Brazil christens new rig as country aspires to revive shipbuilding industry

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and First Lady Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva were at Keppel FELS Brasil’s BrasFELS shipyard to witness the christening of a new 48,000-tonne rig jointly built by Keppel Offshore & Marine and Technip Engenharia.

The P-51 floating production unit is owned by Petrobras Netherlands and is due for delivery next month. The first rig, the P-52 FPU, is currently producing in the Roncador field. Like the P-52, the P-51 also realizes the country’s aspiration to revive its shipbuilding industry and to become a net oil exporter. It will support Petrobras' offshore oil exploration and production activities, contributing significantly towards Brazil’s self-sufficiency in oil production. In addition to the P-51, the Keppel/Technip consortium is also building the P-56, which last month achieved the completion of the first block. Identical to the P-51, the P-56 will be the third FPU constructed by Keppel FELS Brazil and will help create and sustain employment in Angra dos Reis.
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