Petrobras strikes oil above subsalt layer

Brazilian state-run Petrobras said it struck light oil south of the Santos basin in shallow waters above the subsalt layer of the ocean floor.

The area where the find was made, the BMS-40 block, could contain up to 150 million barrels of recoverable oil equivalent, Petrobras said in a statement. "This find confirms the good light oil potential in the shallow waters of that basin," the company said. Petrobras had confirmed in May the presence of light oil in the block, which is 100%-owned by the Brazilian company, said Reuters. The new discovery is 5.8 miles (9.3 kilometres) away from this first find. Unlikely recent discoveries in the subsalt cluster at great depths at sea, the find was made above the layer of salt about 6758 feet (2060 metres) under the ocean floor and at a water depth of 898 feet, which should make future production easier. It is located about 200 kilometres off Sao Paulo state's coast.

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