Petrobras expands Foz do Amazonas drilling

Petrobras expands Foz do Amazonas drilling campaign as Morpho evaluation advances

Petrobras has received authorization from Ibama to expand its exploration campaign in the FZA-M-59 block, in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, adding three contingent wells to the environmental license that originally covered only Morpho.

The amendment to Operating License No. 1684/2025, signed on September 3, authorizes the drilling of Manga, Crotalus and Morpho Extension, also referred to in licensing documents as PAD Morpho.

Petrobras said it will first complete the ongoing Morpho well and then proceed with planning the additional wells. The company must submit an updated drilling schedule to Ibama within 30 days.

Morpho, officially identified as 1-BRSA-1405-APS, is located approximately 175 km off the coast of Amapá in a water depth of 2,886 meters.

On August 14, Petrobras confirmed the identification of a hydrocarbon-bearing interval through wireline logs and indications in rock samples. The size and commercial potential of the accumulation have not yet been determined.

Another point is now attracting attention.

According to reporting by O Globo, preliminary indications suggest that the oil found at Morpho could have an API gravity between 35° and 40°. Petrobras has not confirmed this specification, and samples are still undergoing detailed analysis at the company’s Cenpes research center.

If confirmed, an API gravity in that range would indicate a relatively light crude. API gravity alone, however, does not determine commercial quality, which also depends on factors such as sulfur content, acidity and overall composition.

The amended license also adds operational flexibility to the campaign. The three additional wells may be drilled by the ODN-II, or NS-42, operated by Foresea and currently drilling Morpho, or by Constellation’s Amaralina Star, NS-43.

The use of Amaralina Star remains subject to specific modifications related to drill-cuttings collection and a prior Ibama inspection. The regulator also did not authorize simultaneous drilling by the two units under the current license.

The authorization comes while the licensing process remains under scrutiny from Brazil’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office. The MPF has requested clarification from Ibama over differences between statements regarding a roughly six-month activity period and administrative documents describing a broader multi-well campaign extending over several years.

Ibama maintains that one firm well and three contingent wells were contemplated in the environmental studies from the outset.

For Petrobras, the next phase is therefore about more than confirming the presence of hydrocarbons. The additional wells will provide the subsurface information needed to better understand the potential of FZA-M-59 and determine whether the results can eventually support a commercially viable development.