PetroRio Informs New Corporate Name and New Ticker Symbols

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 22, 2015 /CNW/ - Petro Rio S.A. ("PetroRio" or the "Company"), the new corporate name of HRT Participações em Petróleo S.A. as approved in a Special Shareholders Meeting held on May 15, 2015, today announced that the corporate name has now been formally changed. As of June 26, 2015, its common shares will begin trading on the São Paulo Stock Exchange, the BM&FBOVESPA S.A. Bolsa de Valores, Mercadorias e Futuros under the name PETRORIO and ticker symbol PRIO3. 

The Company's Global Depositary Shares ("GDS"), listed on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") in Canada, are expected to start trading under the name PETRORIO and ticker symbol PRJ on completion of filings with the TSXV.

PetroRio was established with a dynamic new corporate culture focused on increasing production through the acquisition of production assets, the re-exploration of existing assets, the ongoing incorporation of operational efficiencies and improvements, the reduction of production costs and corporate expenses, as well as the mitigation of exploration risk. PetroRio's main objective is to create value for its shareholders, with increasing financial discipline and preserving its liquidity, strengthening its position to develop as a large oil company in Brazil.

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About PetroRio
PetroRio, through its subsidiaries, holds a 60% participating interest and it is also the operator of the Polvo Field, which is located in the southern portion of the Campos Basin, at 100km east of the city of Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro. PetroRio has Brazil's seventh largest daily production of barrels of oil equivalent (boe), with 20.3º API, deriving from three producing reservoirs. PetroRio is the owner, through its subsidiaries, of "Polvo A" fixed platform and a 3.000HP drilling rig, currently in operation in the field, being the platform connected to the "Polvo FPSO" vessel, with capacity to segregate hydrocarbons and water treatment, oil storage and offloading. Polvo Field license covers an area of approximately 134km2, with several prospects with potential for further explorations.

In January 2015, PetroRio announced the proposed acquisition of the Bijupira and Salema Fields located at the same basin, Campos Basin, at a distance of approximately 80 km from the Polvo Field, tripling its current daily production to more than 33,000 barrels of oil. Such acquisition is subject to the approval of Brazil's National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). Furthermore, PetroRio is born of a new corporate culture focused on increasing production through the acquisition of production assets, the re-exploration and optimization of the Polvo, Bijupirá and Salema Fields, increasing operational efficiency and reducing production costs and corporate expenses. The Company's main objective is to create value for its shareholders, protecting its liquidity and increasing revenue and profits, with full respect for safety and the environment. For more information, please visit the Company's website: www.petroriosa.com.br.

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; labor disputes, disruptions or declines in productivity; increases in materials or labor costs; inability to attract sufficient labor; 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 PetroRio

please contact PetroRio's Investor Relations Department.