Rio, July 8, 2004 (Agência Brasil) - In an official note, Petrobras announced the start of natural gas production in the Coulomb field, in the American part of the Gulf of Mexico. The Shell Exploration and Production Company is in charge of operating the field, and production is commencing in the C-3 well, only 78 days after its discovery.

According to Petrobras, the field was developed through underwater complementation of two exploratory wells, one of which was drilled under a layer of water 7,570 feet (2,301 meters) deep, which constitutes a new world record for deep sea production.

Petrobras America, which is a subsidiary of the Brazilian state enterprise, is based in Houston, Texas, and owns a 33.33% share of what is produced by the C-3 well.

According to the company, this result confirms "the significant gas potential of the western part of the Gulf of Mexico," where Petrobras America has a 100% share in three other exploratory projects with similar characteristics.

Translator: David Silberstein