Petrobras said last Saturday that it has started producing oil and natural gas through FPSO Guanabara, the first definitive production system installed in the Mero field located in the Santos Basin pre-salt.

The Mero field is operated by Petrobras (38.6%), in partnership with CNPC (9.65%), CNOOC Brasil (9.65%), and other energy producers. CNOOC Brasil is a subsidiary of CNOOC Group, which is an offshore crude oil and natural gas producer in China.

The Mero field is located more than 150 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro and in a water depth of up to 1,930 m. Now, it is the third biggest pre-salt oil field, after the Búzios and Tupi fields.

The FPSO platform is capable of processing up to 180,000 barrels of oil and 12 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, accounting for 6% of the production operated by Petrobras.