Petrobras, Brazil's state-controlled oil firm, and
state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corp. (TPAO) signed a memorandum of understanding
Thursday to expand research into deep-water exploration in Turkey's sector of
the Black Sea.
The signing was attended by both companies' chief executives,
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. On Friday, Erdogan visited Petrobras headquarters in Rio de
Janeiro.
TPAO told
Oil Daily a month ago that drilling of the
Sinop-1 well, spudded on Feb. 26 by operator Petrobras in ultra-deep waters 145
km off the Turkish city of Sinop, is due to be completed in June. The Sinop Block 3922 is held by Petrobras and Exxon Mobil, with
25% each, and TPAO, with 50%. The water depth is 2,200 meters, while the total
depth of the well, including the sea section, will be 5,700 meters. That looks
set to make it the deepest well yet drilled off Turkey's Black Sea coast.
Petrobras said the region is considered one of the world's last oil
frontiers.