BP finds hydrocarbon indications at Tupinambá well

Hydrocarbon indications have been identified at bp’s 1-BP-14-SPS exploration well in the Tupinambá block, in the Santos Basin pre-salt.

The occurrence was notified to Brazil’s ANP on October 14, around five weeks after drilling began on September 8.
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The well is being drilled by Transocean’s Deepwater Mykonos in approximately 2,343 metres of water.
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The environmental licence for Tupinambá covers a campaign of up to three wells, with two additional wells dependent on the results of the first. It also allows a short-duration formation test.
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Transocean’s latest fleet report places Deepwater Mykonos on firm contract with bp in Brazil from September 2026 through June 2027 at a reported day rate of US$426,000. The drilling contractor previously described the award as a three-well contract.
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Tupinambá covers 3,056.36 km² and was awarded to bp in December 2023 under Brazil’s production-sharing regime. The contract was signed in May 2024, with a R$7.047 million signature bonus and an estimated minimum exploration investment of R$360 million.
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In September, Shell announced an agreement to acquire a 50% interest in Tupinambá, with bp expected to remain operator.

The current well is the first drilled under the Tupinambá production-sharing contract.
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ANP technical studies prepared ahead of the auction identified pre-salt Barra Velha carbonates as the main exploration target and recorded earlier non-commercial oil indications from wells drilled downdip of the Tupinambá structure.
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Tupinambá is located near Bumerangue, where bp announced an oil and gas discovery in 2025. The two prospects have been described by bp as independent exploration targets.
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The result at 1-BP-14-SPS provides the first direct subsurface information from the current Tupinambá campaign and will help define the next steps in the exploration programme.