Shell returns to the ultra-deep waters of the ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป to drill another wildcat. The drilling rig Valaris Renaissance has been on location since February 14th to drill the well ๐ญ-๐ฆ๐๐๐-๐ฏ๐ฒ-๐ฅ๐๐ฆ (Ariranha) in block C-M-659. The area, acquired in Round 16 (2019) and operated by Shell in partnership with Chevron and QatarEnergy, had its first well drilled in mid-2023: 1-SHEL-35-RJS / 1-SHEL-35A-RJS (Suรงuarana). However, no hydrocarbon indications were reported to ANP.
The drilling is taking place just south of the Raia Manta and Raia Pintada fields, which were declared commercial at the end of 2023. Operated by Equinor in consortium with Repsol Sinopec Brasil and Petrobras, these fields contain recoverable natural gas and oil/condensate volumes exceeding 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with initial oil production expected in 2028.
Our geoscience team has selected some legacy seismic lines, shown below, in order to illustrate the targets in the area. For that, we suggest the drillingโs target could not involve only a pre-salt lead, but it may include structural opportunities in the post-salt, with a possible contribution from the pre-salt source rock.