Petrobras Halts Foz do Amazonas Drilling After Auxiliary-Line Fluid Leak

Overview

• Petrobras detected a loss of drilling fluid on Sunday, Jan. 4, in two auxiliary lines linking the drillship to the Morpho exploratory well about 175 km off Amapá.
• Drilling was paused so the affected lines could be brought to the surface for inspection and repair, with the company stating the well and drillship remain secure.
• The firm reports the leak was immediately contained and isolated, the fluid meets permitted toxicity limits, and regulators were notified.
• The Morpho well is an exploratory borehole licensed by Ibama, with an expected drilling campaign of about five months and no production at this stage.
• Exploration in the Foz do Amazonas basin draws criticism from environmental groups, while government estimates point to significant resource potential of roughly 6.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent in the region.