[3] It was owned by Petrobras, a semi-public Brazilian oil company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro.
The 33,000 tonnes (36,000 short tons) rig was converted by Davie Industry, Lévis, Canada to the world's largest oil production platform.
P-36 was operating for Petrobras on the Roncador Oil Field, 130 kilometres (80 mi) off the Brazilian coast, producing about 84,000 barrels (13,400 m3) of crude per day.
[citation needed] Marine salvage teams tried over the weekend to save the platform by pumping nitrogen and compressed air into the tanks to expel the water, but they abandoned the rig after bad weather.
[8] The platform sank five days after the explosions (March 20), in 1,200 m (3,940 ft) of water with an estimated 1,500 tonnes (1,700 short tons) of crude oil remaining on board.