Petrobras has confirmed a third oil discovery at the Morpho exploration well offshore Amapá, Brazil, after identifying another oil-bearing interval in block FZA-M-59. The company has completed drilling and geological data acquisition, with the drillship assigned to the operation scheduled to move to the Potiguar Basin.
The discovery, announced on 29 October 2026, was made in the Foz do Amazonas Basin, part of Brazil’s Equatorial Margin, where the Morpho well is located in a water depth of 2,886 metres.
All three discoveries were made within the same exploration well rather than through separate drilling campaigns. The latest oil-bearing interval was identified during continued evaluation of geological formations following discoveries announced in August and early October 2026.
The Morpho well, designated 1-BRSA-1405-APS, is located in block FZA-M-59 approximately 175 kilometres off the coast of Amapá.
In its 29 October announcement, Petrobras confirmed that drilling and geological data acquisition had been completed. Final well abandonment operations remain to be carried out before the drilling unit moves to its next assignment.
The campaign has been conducted using Foresea‘s sixth-generation drillship ODN II (NS-42).
Following completion of the remaining well operations, the drillship is scheduled to relocate to the Potiguar Basin offshore Rio Grande do Norte, where it will begin drilling at the Mãe de Ouro location.
The latest discovery follows an exploration programme in which Petrobras first encountered oil at Morpho in August 2026.
Further drilling into deeper geological intervals led to a second oil discovery reported in October.
According to Petrobras’ 2 October technical announcement, the second discovery was supported by electrical logs, indications from rock samples and fluid samples obtained during drilling.
At that stage, Petrobras said laboratory analyses and integration of the acquired geological data would provide further information for evaluating the petroleum systems and resource potential of the Foz do Amazonas Basin.
The company also reported that analyses of the initial discovery announced in August had confirmed good oil quality. That assessment related specifically to the earlier discovery, and the latest announcement did not provide a corresponding oil-quality assessment for the third oil-bearing interval.
Petrobras has not disclosed the volume of recoverable resources associated with the third discovery or established its commercial viability.
Company president Magda Chambriard said the three discoveries within one well had increased Petrobras‘ confidence in the exploration potential of Brazil’s Equatorial Margin.
The company said its exploration activities in block FZA-M-59 are part of a long-term strategy to replenish oil and gas reserves through exploration in new frontier areas.
With drilling and geological data collection completed at Morpho, the remaining well abandonment work will precede the planned redeployment of ODN II (NS-42) to the Mãe de Ouro drilling location in the Potiguar Basin.
