In an interview with the newspaper *O Estado de S. Paulo*, the executive explained that the crude found in the Morpho well—located in the Amazon River Mouth Basin off the coast of Amapá state—appears to be lighter than pre-salt oil.

This characteristic represents a commercial advantage, as light oil requires less complex refining processes and can therefore command a higher market value.

However, Chambriard ruled out comparing the Equatorial Margin to the pre-salt region in terms of scale at this time.

Nevertheless, she maintained an optimistic outlook, estimating that future drilling could confirm significant discoveries capable of helping to offset the decline in pre-salt production projected for the mid-2030s.

Chambriard reported that Petrobras plans to resume drilling operations at Morpho around September 11 or 12 to obtain new rock and fluid samples and conduct additional well logging.

This new oil frontier is considered strategic by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s government, given the prospect of declining pre-salt production over the coming decade.

jdt/oda/mar