Petrobras in November 2017 confirmed a new oil discovery in pre-salt for the Marlim Field Block in the Campos Basin. According to Petrobras Exploration and Production director, Solange Guedes, the discovery had 196m column of good quality oil in carbonate reservoirs, making it the largest oil column ever found in the Campos Basin pre-salt. Little was disclosed about the discovery, which will require further testing for a better assessment. Guedes pointed out that discoveries in the Campos Basin pre-salt have high value because often production infrastructure is already in place. This is the second recent pre-salt discovery in area since August, when Petrobras announced the deeper pool wildcat 6BRSA1349RJS had found oil in Marlim Sul. The well involved in the most recently announced discovery was not disclosed. However, Petrobras on 20 October 2017 filed an oil show report with the ANP for the 9MRL231DRJS special well on the northern part of the Marlim Block. It seems likely that this is the well Petrobras was talking about. Petrobras also previously filed an oil show with the ANP on this well in June. It was drilled in water depth of 604m and is located 1.4 km north of the currently mapped field boundary and about 550m south of the concession's northern boundary line. However, it is not classified as an outpost well. The well was spud in January 2017 with a planned total depth of 4,539m and believed to be targeting the pre-salt. In late April 2016, the ANP extended concession contract renewals for the Marlim and Voador fields, granting Petrobras an additional eleven years to operate the concessions. The ANP board of directors accepted the terms requested by Petrobras extending the contracts to 2052, as well as dropping a requirement that would have raised the royalty rate. The decision by the ANP dropped that requirement as well as an additional one, which previously was set as a condition for contract renewal, to pay a special added tax on oil production from Marlim. The original Marlim and Voador concessions ran through 2025. With the contract extensions Petrobras is now expected to produce an additional 900 MMbo from the concessions before they are abandoned. 
Brazil, Marlim