* Transocean ban could take place by Oct. 27
* Petrobras stands to lose seven drill rigs
* Rigs are key to Petrobras oil expansion plans
* Petrobras may need to lease new drill ships
SAO PAULO, Sept 28 (Reuters) – Brazilian state-led oil
company Petrobras said on Friday it filed suit to
suspend an injunction banning drill-rig operator Transocean
from operating in the country, a ban that could
seriously disrupt Petrobras’ exploration activities.
the ban is not overturned or suspended, work on 10
Transocean rigs in Brazil, seven of them working for Petrobras,
will stop by Oct. 27, Petrobras said in a statement.
The motion by Petrobras follows a request by the national
oil regulator ANP in a R io de Janeiro f e deral c ourts on Sept. 17
to overturn t h e injunction, the filing said.
A lack of drilling rigs able to drill in waters more than
2,000 meters deep is one of the main problems that has helped
Petrobras production stagnate in recently despite a $237 billion
five-year expansion plan, Chief Executive Maria das Gracas
Foster said earlier this month.
The Transocean ban is related to a lawsuit seeking nearly
$20 billion from the rig operator and Chevron Corp. for
a November oil spill in the Frade offshore field northeast of
Rio de Janeiro. If not overturned the ban will stay in effect
until the legal issues related to the spill are settled.
Chevron had contracted Transocean’s Sedco 706 rig to drill
in Frade. Chevron and Transocean say they were not negligent in
the spill and are fighting the lawsuits, related criminal
charges and the ban in the courts.
Brazil’s oil regulator ANP said in a July report that
Transocean had no responsibility for the spill.
Petrobras said it is also analyzing other legal and
operational actions in case the injunction goes into force next
month and suspends Transocean’s operations in Brazil.
These actions include the possibility of leasing oil rigs to
replace the Transocean equipment.
