HRT Participações em Petróleo S.A - Acquisition of Material Equity Interest

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 10, 2013 /CNW/ - HRT Participações em Petróleo S.A. (the "Company" or "HRT") (BM&FBOVESPA: HRTP3, TSX-V: HRP), pursuant to Article 12 of CVM Instruction No. 358/02, informs its shareholders and the market in general that, on June 07, 2013, it received a letter from the Putnam Investments, LLC Group ("Group"), informing about its material acquisition of common shares issued by HRT.

According to information provided in the referred letter, the investment management group, comprised of I.G. Investment Management ("IG"), Mackenzie Financial Corporation ("Mackenzie") and Putnam Investments, LLC ("Putnam"), all of them being investment management firms, subsidiaries of Power Corporation of Canada, informed that since May 21, 2013, as investment management firms, fund advisor and/or sub-advisor, the Group now owns 14,541,926 (fourteen million, five hundred forty-one thousand, ninety hundred twenty-six) common shares issued by HRT, which represents 4.89% of the total common shares issued by the Company.

In addition, the Group holds 3,125,455 (three million, one hundred twenty-five thousand, four hundred  fifty-five) GDSs issued in Canada, which can be converted into 1,562,727 (one million, five hundred sixty-two thousand, seven hundred twenty-seven) common shares of HRT, representing 0.53% of the total common shares issued by the Company.

Thus, the Group jointly owns 16,104,653 (sixteen million, one hundred four thousand, six hundred fifty-three) common shares, which constitutes a participation of 5.42% of the total common shares issued by the Company.

Additionally, the investors informed that all shares held by the Group were acquired and are held simply for an investment purpose. These shares, as well as other shares that may be acquired in the future, have no purpose to change the control composition or the administrative structure of HRT.

For additional information, please contact HRT`s Investor Relations Department.

Sedar Profile # 00031536

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About HRT
HRT Participações holds one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in Brazil. The HRT Group comprises eight main subsidiaries: IPEX (Integrated Petroleum Expertise Company Serviços em Petróleo Ltda.), HRT O&G Exploração e Produção de Petróleo Ltda., HRT Netherlands B.V., HRT África Petróleo S.A., HRT América Inc., Air Amazonia Serviços Aéreos Ltda. and HRT Canada Inc.. The Company retains a 55% interest in 21 exploratory blocks in the Solimões Basin. HRT also operates ten exploratory blocks off the Namibian coast: eight blocks in the Orange Sub-basin and two blocks in the Walvis Sub-basin. HRT's team includes PHDs and masters in geochemistry, geophysics, biology and engineering, most of them former employees of Petrobras and ANP (Brazil petroleum agency). HRT is committed to minimizing any possible environmental impacts in the sites where it acts. Our commitment to the local communities is towards health conditions, safety and quality of life. For more information, please visit the Company's website: www.hrt.com.br/ir

Disclaimer
This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this news release are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding our drilling and seismic plans, operating costs, acquisitions of equipment, expectations of finding oil, the quality of oil we expect to produce and our other plans and objectives. Readers can identify many of these statements by looking for words such as "expects", "believe", "hope" and "will" and similar words or the negative thereof. Although management believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. By their nature, forward-looking statements require us to make assumptions and, accordingly, forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. We caution readers of this news release not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements because a number of factors may cause actual future circumstances, results, conditions, actions or events to differ materially from the plans, expectations, estimates or intentions expressed in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements.

The following risk factors could affect our operations: the contingent resource and prospective resource evaluation reports involving a significant degree of uncertainty and being based on projections that may not prove to be accurate; inherent risks to the exploration and production of oil and natural gas; limited operating history as an oil and natural gas exploration and production company; drilling and other operational hazards; breakdown or failure of equipment or processes; contractor or operator errors; non-performance by third party contractors; labour disputes, disruptions or declines in productivity; increases in materials or labour costs; inability to attract sufficient labour; requirements for significant capital investment and maintenance expenses which HRT may not be able to finance; cost overruns and delays; exposure to fluctuations in currency and commodity prices; political and economic conditions in Namibia and Brazil; complex laws that can affect the cost, manner or feasibility of doing business; environmental, safety and health regulation which may become stricter in the future and lead to an increase in liabilities and capital expenditures, including indemnity and penalties for environmental damage; early termination, non-renewal and other similar provisions in concession contracts; and competition. We caution that this list of factors is not exhaustive and that, when relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should also carefully consider other uncertainties and potential events. The forward-looking statements herein are made based on the assumption that our plans and operations will not be affected by such risks, but that, if our plans and operations are affected by such risks, the forward-looking statements may become inaccurate.

The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, we do not undertake to update such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: HRT Participações em Petróleo S.A.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Sandra Calcado - Investor Relations Manager
Tainah Costa - Investor Relations Senior Analyst

[phone]
[email protected]