HRT said a modified work plan was signed by the two firms and Russian player TNK-BP, which has a 35% stake in the acreage, on a recent visit of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff to Moscow.

"Our technical team is honored and encouraged to participate along with Petrobras in this project that is deemed so important to Brasil," HRT chief executive Marcio Rocha Mello said in a statement.

HRT