Update on acquisition of the Bijupirá and Salema Oil Fields and FPSO Fluminense

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 16, 2015 /CNW/ - PetroRio¹, the new brand of HRT Participações em Petróleo S.A., (the "Company" or "PetroRio") (BM&FBOVESPA: HRTP31, TSX-V: HRP1), announces an update on the expected timing of the geological report to be filed with the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") in connection with the proposed acquisition of 80% of the rights and obligations of the concession contracts for the Bijupirá and Salema Fields and the FPSO Fluminense.

As previously disclosed (by Material Fact dated February 13, 2015), the Company has retained an independent qualified reserves evaluator to prepare a geological report in compliance with the Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 51-101 Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities (the "Report"). The Report is now expected to be received on or about March 20, 2015. The Report will be used by the TSX-V as supporting documentation for the proposed transaction, and it is expected that the Report will assist investors in assessing the proposed transaction. A further news release will be issued by the Company when the Report is available, providing further details on the assets proposed to be acquired under the agreements. Investors are cautioned that, until the Report is prepared and disclosed, there may not be sufficient information about the assets so as to enable investors to make a reasonable investment decision about the transaction.

The completion of the proposed acquisition is subject to certain conditions precedent, including approval of the assignment of rights by Brazil's Council for Economic Defense (CADE) and the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP). Receipt of required regulatory approvals and the subsequent Closing may take several months, or may not occur at all.

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, as well as eliminating exploration risk. 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.

¹ The Company's corporate name will remain HRT Participações em Petróleo S.A., until the modification is approved at the Shareholders' Meeting, in accordance with proposal to be submitted by Management. The Company's shares and GDSs will continue to be traded under the tickers HRTP3 on the BM&FBOVESPA and HRP on TSX-V until the new corporate name is approved and the request to change the tickers is authorized by the BM&FBOVESPA and the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM). The Company will keep its shareholders and the market in general informed of the progress of this process.

About PetroRio
PetroRio is one of the largest independent oil and natural gas producer in Brazil. It is operator of Polvo field which is located in the southern portion of the Campos Basin, Rio de Janeiro , and holds a 60% participating interest. Polvo 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.

On January, 2015, PetroRio announced the acquisition of 80% 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 Council for Economic Defense (CADE) and the 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

Reader Advisories
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 the expected time for completing closing of the proposed acquisition under the Agreements, the proposed change of the Company name to PetroRio 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, as well as our ability to complete the proposed acquisition under the Agreements: 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 obtain required regulatory approvals; 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 these cautionary statements. 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.

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.

SOURCE HRT Participações em Petróleo S.A.

For additional information, please contact PetroRio's Investor Relations Department.

IR CONTACTS:
Guilherme Marques - CFO and Investor Relations Officer
Luana Ayala - Investor Relations Intern
Phone: [phone]
[email protected]