Australian operator Sunbird Energy Ltd. has awarded a contract to Wood Group Kenny (WGK) Australia to provide engineering and project management services for the Ibhubesi gas project, off the west coast of South Africa. The…
VAALCO Energy has completed drilling an exploration well on the Ovoka Prospect (formerly Mu), in 60m water depth offshore Gabon to evaluate the Gamba reservoir and deeper Lucina formations. The zones of interest were found to be water…
Russian oil firm Lukoil Overseas has started drilling in deep water off the coast of Sierra Leone. The company is drilling the Savannah prospect on Block SL-5-11, using the semisubmersible Eirik Raude drilling rig, in more than 2000m water depth…
BG Group has selected oil and gas service firm ASCO to provide supply base services for its operations in Tanzania, east Africa, under a three year contract worth about US$100 million. The contract will see ASCO work for a number of operators…
Marathon Oil is to sell its 10% interest in deepwater Block 32 offshore Angola to Sonangol for about US$590 million. The firm also announced plans to repurchase US$1 billion of its common stock and buy about 4800 acres in the core of its south Texas Eagle Ford position…
Australian exploration firm WHL Energy is to apply for an amendment to its petroleum agreement with Seychelles petroleum industry regulator PetroSeychelles, leading to renewed farm-out talks. The proposed amendment is an extension to agreed work program commitments…
HRT Participações em Petróleo S.A.announced that the Moosehead-1 well, the third offshore well in its exploratory drilling campaign, is a dry hole. The Moosehead prospect is in Petroleum Exploration License 24 (PEL-24), in the Orange basin…
Ensco plc has taken delivery of ENSCO DS-7, an advanced-capability, ultra-deepwater drillship. The vessel will embark from the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea to Angola, where it is contracted to Total for three years beginning…
FAR Ltd. (“FAR”) completed negotiations on joint venture agreements with Ophir Energy PLC (“Ophir”) on highly prospective offshore Kenya exploration permit Block L9. Block L9 is a large permit in the heart of the Lamu basin. A series…
Eni has made a new high impact discovery at Agulha exploration prospect, in Area 4, offshore Mozambique.The discovery opens a new exploration play in the southern part of Area 4. Preliminary estimates show that the Agulha structure could contain 5 to 7 Trillion cu ft of gas in place…
Integrated drilling and environmental solutions firm TWMA says it has become the first company to be awarded an offshore processing contract in Angola. The agreement, worth up to $35m, will see TWMA take the concept of offshore processing to the rapidly developing area…
UK Trade & Investment presented a varied session on petroleum investment opportunities in East and West Africa today, focusing on Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, and Ghana. Mrs. Wanjiku Manyara, general manager of the Petroleum Institute of East Africa…
This decade is a unique opportunity for European contractors and suppliers to really go for it in terms of looking to win a larger global share of the supply market, Malcolm Brinded said yesterday. Brinded, of the Shell Foundation, was chairing…
OMV is to invest in an offshore exploration block west of Madagascar. OMV will acquire a 40% stake in the Grand Prix block from Niko Resources (Niko). OMV will farm-in to the area for the planned drilling of an exploration well. OMV will…
East Africa-focused oil and gas exploration company Aminex is to be led by the founders of private Maldova-focused exploration firm Canyon Oil and Gas. Canyon's co-founders Jay Bhattacherjee and Philip Thompson will become Aminex’s chief executive and chief operating officer…