Petrobras’ Project to Monitor the Underwater Acoustic Landscape of the Santos Basin (known by its Portuguese initials, PMPAS-BS) turned 10 in 2025. This project is carried out by Petrobras to comply with environmental conditions stipulated in the Federal Environmental License issued by the Brazilian Environmental Protection Agency (IBAMA) for Petrobras’ oil and natural gas exploration, production and transportation activities in the Santos Basin. OceanPact has been part of the initiative since 2018, monitoring the acoustic landscape using a fleet of underwater gliders.

These gliders are autonomous vehicles that go up and down in the water by altering their buoyancy, without propellers or any other means of propulsion. They operate continuously, mapping the acoustic landscape and collecting physical and chemical data, such as temperature and salinity. The data is gathered with a very high level of detail, both in width and in depth, over a large area of the Santos Basin.

“Participating in PMPAS-BS is a source of pride for OceanPact. It’s a project that combines cutting-edge technology with ocean conservation, focusing on underwater noise monitoring. This experience positions us strategically in terms of remote offshore operations, which is an irreversible industry trend,” said Leonardo Barreira, director of OceanPact Tech.

Over the course of eight years working on the project, OceanPact has overcome major operational challenges involved in launching and above all retrieving the gliders in an offshore environment – a sensitive operation that requires precision, technical skill and safety.

The company has invested in continuous training, improved its vehicle recovery methods and structured a rigorous logistics planning process based on daily analysis of meteorological and oceanographic conditions.

OceanPact has so far operated two glider models as part of this project (the Seaglider and currently the Slocum), solidifying its position as a domestic leader when it comes to autonomous underwater vehicle operations. The company also has the largest fleet of underwater gliders in Brazil.