Petrobras, bp discover hydrocarbons in deepwater Campos basin
Petrobras and bp have made a new ultra-deepwater discovery in the pre-salt Campos basin offshore Brazil.
Well 1-BRSA-1404DC-RJS was drilled in 2,984 m of water in block C-M-477 in Sector SC-AP4, 201 km from the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro.
A combination of electric logs, gas shows, and fluid sampling identified the hydrocarbon-bearing interval.
Samples taken during drilling will undergo laboratory analysis in order to characterize the reservoir conditions and the composition of the fluids found, supporting continued assessment of the area’s potential.
Operations on the well have since been completed.
C-M-477 was awarded under Brazil’s 16th Bidding Round. Petrobras operates with a 70% interest, with bp holding the remaining 30%.
Discovery implications
This discovery aligns with Petrobras’ strategy to explore frontier and ultra-deepwater areas in partnership (reducing risk/capital exposure) while maintaining operatorship. It supports reserve replacement in a mature basin, sustains Brazil’s energy supply during the global energy transition, and leverages the company’s world-leading expertise in pre-salt drilling and subsea technology.
Brazil’s pre-salt province (mainly Santos and Campos) now accounts for a large and growing share of national production—often exceeding 40-50% in recent years—with highly productive wells and massive resource potential (tens of billions of barrels recoverable). The Campos basin remains strategically vital alongside the deeper-water Santos basin.
bp’s involvement reflects continued international interest in Brazilian pre-salt, where supermajors partner with Petrobras for its technical and operational strengths in these challenging environments.
Next steps
Lab analysis of samples will be critical to assess porosity, permeability, fluid properties, and commercial viability. If positive, it could lead to appraisal wells and potential tiebacks to existing or new infrastructure (FPSOs). Ultra-deepwater, pre-salt developments are capital-intensive but benefit from Brazil’s established offshore supply chain and fiscal terms under the concession. This is one of several recent pre-salt announcements in Campos, underscoring ongoing exploration momentum in the basin despite its maturity.
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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.