Ibama has granted Petrobras approval to expand its exploration activities in the Foz do Amazonas basin, authorizing the drilling of three new wells in block FZA-M-59.
Operations off the coast of Amapá have gained momentum following the environmental agency’s decision, signed by president Jair Schimitt last Thursday (3).
With this measure, the state-owned company expands its geological investigation capacity in the region, now permitted to drill a total of four wells in the area located 175 kilometers off the coast.
The decision addresses a long-standing request from the company, which sought to formalize the scope of its operations in the block. According to Petrobras, the inclusion of the additional probes—named Manga, PAD Morpho, and Crotalus—was already outlined in the original licensing process, which was initiated back in 2014 by the oil company BP.
Operational rules and conditions
To ensure the operation proceeds, Ibama has established strict guidelines. These include a prohibition on the simultaneous use of different drilling rigs and authorization to incorporate the Amaralina Star (NS-43) drillship, provided that effective waste collection systems and prior inspections by the agency are verified.
Compliance with environmental safeguards remains a high priority. Ibama technicians have expressed concern over delays in the protection schedule for local fauna, specifically regarding the management of sirenians, such as manatees.
“The company’s slow pace in executing previously agreed-upon tasks is leading to the evolution and increasing complexity of the scenarios,” the technical team warned, urging immediate action to mitigate impacts on endangered species.
Exploration context in the Equatorial Margin
This advancement comes at a strategic moment for the oil and gas sector. Block FZA-M-59, which received its initial license in 2025, has already shown signs of hydrocarbons during tests at the Morpho well, although the commercial viability of the find has yet to be confirmed.
The logistical and environmental challenges in the Foz do Amazonas are being closely monitored by the market, particularly because Petrobras has seven other licensing processes underway for neighboring blocks, such as FZA-M-57 and FZA-M-127. The success of these new drillings will be a determining factor for the state-owned company’s projections in Brazil’s so-called Equatorial Margin.