RIO DE JANEIRO- Oil production in Brazil fell 6.5% in May from the same month a year before, as the novel coronavirus rips through offshore and onshore oilfields, hurting production, national oil regulator ANP said on Thursday.
In May, the nation produced 3.485 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), 2.765 million barrels of which was oil. That was up 1.3% from same month last year, but fell significantly from the previous month "due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," ANP said.
Sixty offshore platforms saw production stalled at one point. Among the platforms that saw production hit, the ANP said, were P-76, P-74 and P-67, all of which are owned by state-run Petrobras, according to the regulator. Production at Mangaratiba and Cidade de Angra dos Reis, both massive ships used in the oil production and transportation process, known as FPSOs, was also hit.
Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the firm is formally known, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; editing by Jonathan Oatis) ((gram.slattery@thomsonreuters.com; +55-11-95057-1453))
