Petrobras invests $450 million in world’s largest permanent seabed seismic monitoring project
Petrobras, together with its partners in the Libra consortium, is investing approximately US $450 million (R$2.2 billion) in what they describe as “the world’s largest permanent reservoir monitoring (PRM) system.”
The partners plan to install a vast network of optical seismic sensors and cables directly on the seabed of the Mero field in the Santos Basin, creating a continuous, high-resolution 4D seismic monitor of the subsurface.
Project scale and phases include:
- Phase 1 (completed March 2026): Over 460 km of optical cables covering 222 km², monitoring production areas of FPSOs Guanabara (Mero 1) and Sepetiba (Mero 2).
- Phase 2 (underway, expected completion 2027): Additional 316 km of cables covering 140 km² for FPSOs Duque de Caxias (Mero 3) and Alexandre de Gusmão (Mero 4).
The full system will span hundreds of square kilometers, making it the most extensive permanent seabed seismic monitoring project ever undertaken in deepwater, says Petrobras.
Reservoir ultrasound
Using fiber-optic PRM technology, including Geospace Technologies’ OptoSeis system, the network is said to act like a permanent “ultrasound” of the reservoir. It tracks fluid movements (oil, gas, water), pressure, temperature, and geological changes in near real-time, eliminating the need for repeated conventional seismic surveys.
First data from Phase 1 is expected in Q2 2026. Data will initially be processed onboard the FPSOs, with future direct fiber-optic transmission to shore. Petrobras is partnering with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) to apply artificial intelligence for advanced data analysis.
Strategic benefits
Petrobras says that the PRM system will optimize production, increase oil recovery rates, improve field management decisions, and enhance operational safety while helping reduce carbon intensity per barrel produced. The Mero field, one of Brazil’s largest pre-salt assets, averaged more than 680,000 barrels per day in January 2026.
“The collection of seismic data will allow better management of the field and increased production,” said one Petrobras official. “By optimizing field management, the technology maximizes oil production without a significant increase in emissions, thus contributing to the reduction of the carbon footprint.”
Petrobras says that the system will position Brazil at the forefront of deepwater innovation and supports the long-term development of the Santos Basin pre-salt cluster.
Petrobras (operator, ~38.6–40% stake) leads the Libra consortium with Shell, TotalEnergies, CNPC, CNOOC, and Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A. (PPSA), representing the Brazilian government.
About the Author
Bruce Beaubouef
Managing Editor
Bruce Beaubouef is Managing Editor for Offshore magazine. In that capacity, he plans and oversees content for the magazine; writes features on technologies and trends for the magazine; writes news updates for the website; creates and moderates topical webinars; and creates videos that focus on offshore oil and gas and renewable energies. Beaubouef has been in the oil and gas trade media for 25 years, starting out as Editor of Hart’s Pipeline Digest in 1998. From there, he went on to serve as Associate Editor for Pipe Line and Gas Industry for Gulf Publishing for four years before rejoining Hart Publications as Editor of PipeLine and Gas Technology in 2003. He joined Offshore magazine as Managing Editor in 2010, at that time owned by PennWell Corp. Beaubouef earned his Ph.D. at the University of Houston in 1997, and his dissertation was published in book form by Texas A&M University Press in September 2007 as The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: U.S. Energy Security and Oil Politics, 1975-2005.