Petrobras has denied that a decision to deploy a Sevan Driller rig in Brazilian waters rather than in the Gulf of Mexico is a sign of a scaling down of international operations.
Petrobras international director Jorge Zelada confirmed that the company has changed the location for using the cylindrical drilling unit, currently under construction at the Cosco Nantong yard in China. The rig is due for delivery in the first half of next year, and is now expected to reinforce the exploration and appraisal effort in the emerging region of pre-salt discoveries in Brazil's Santos basin. Zelada rejected suggestions that the move was symptomatic of a downgrading of the company's international investments, in the wake of these huge domestic oil and gas discoveries, with their equally imposing development costs. "I wouldn't describe this as reducing (overseas investments) but we may postpone exploration acitivity in a given place when the company sees an operation like the one in Brazil as important and there is competition for the rig," he said. Petrobras recently reached agreement with Brazil's National Petroleum Agency, committing to appraisal plans on undimensioned discoveries such as Carioca and Jupiter. The company is expected to take delivery of four newbuild rigs capable of working in ultra deep waters next year. In the Gulf of Mexico Petrobras is planning for wildcatting on exploration permits and developing the Cascade and Chinook fields.
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