Issue 222 - 16 December 2011
LIBYA
NOC probes IOCs, blocks PSC
Post-Qadhafi Libya’s oil sector will focus on enhanced oil recovery, environmental protection and community support, National Oil Corporation (NOC) chairman Nuri Berouin has told recent visitors.
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EGYPT
Delayed BP project might not bode well for Egypt’s upcoming gas bidding round
Failure to address local environmental concerns and RWE’s divestment programme are hampering the development of gas in the West Nile Delta concessions, writes Nadine Marroushi in Cairo
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Green light for Dana’s Lorcan JV
Petro Kareem, Dana Petroleum’s joint venture with Egypt’s General Petroleum Corporation, has received approval from the Ministry of Petroleum. The JV will produce oil and gas from the Lorcan Development lease within the onshore North Zeit Bay (NZB) concession in the Gulf of Suez (AE 192/17).
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SUDAN AND SOUTH SUDAN
Upstream update: Sudan and South Sudan – new beginnings prove difficult
Sudan and South Sudan are keen to prove up new reserves, but the row over transit fees for the new state’s use of Khartoum’s infrastructure to export its oil is likely to deter many investors
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MOZAMBIQUE
Anadarko makes biggest Mozambique gas find yet
Anadarko’s announcement of its sixth and largest gas discovery in the Rovuma Basin shows that companies’ confidence in the region’s LNG potential has not been misplaced, and further drilling is imminent in Mozambique and Tanzania, writes Adrian J Browne
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KENYA
Lion Petroleum finds new partner
Canada’s Lion Petroleum Corporation has entered into a letter of intent (LoI) for a reverse takeover of TSX Venture Exchange-listed Rare Earth Industries (REI), in a deal which could provide the funds to meet urgent seismic acquisition commitments.
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TANZANIA
Dominion plans seismic on Block 7
Dominion Petroleum, which is being acquired by Ophir Energy, plans to acquire 2D seismic on offshore Block 7 in early 2012. Mubadala Oil & Gas farmed in to the block in October, agreeing to pay $20m, which helped alleviate the company’s short-term funding issues.
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NIGERIA
Niger Delta sales completed
Royal Dutch Shell, Total and Eni’s local subsidiaries have completed the sale of their interests in two oil mining leases in the Niger Delta, raising $488m. OML 26, which was sold to Afren subsidiary FHN26 Limited, covers 480km2 and produces 6,000 b/d from two fields.
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M&P spins off Nigerian unit with Euronext float to follow
French oil explorer Maurel & Prom has spun off its Nigerian operations into a new company, Maurel & Prom Nigeria.
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Dear Goodluck, Please surprise us with a PIB that rebuilds NNPC
Will 2012 be the year when malfunctioning giant Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is restructured as the cornerstone of an all-embracing overhaul of financing, licensing, regulation and operations in the Nigerian hydrocarbons industry? Co-ordinating minister of the economy and finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala believes a workable Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) can be drawn up to be re-presented to the National Assembly “soon” (AE 217/1). But “soon” in Nigerian parlance too usually means “we don’t know when” and, although President Goodluck Jonathan’s 13 December budget speech contained another call for official bodies and industry stakeholders to bring closure to the PIB (the first draft of which appeared in 2008), he did not say when and how. (Jonathan also failed to mention efforts to tackle the fuel subsidy, whose eradication is supposed to be another cornerstone of the Nigerian reform team’s platform.)
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COTE D’IVOIRE/GHANA
Vanco find raises stakes in border row
Vanco Energy Company has announced a light oil discovery with its second well on Block CI-401, adjacent to the maritime border with Ghana.
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SOUTH AFRICA
Consortium withdraws after Karoo shale gas study
A consortium of Sasol Petroleum International, Statoil and Chesapeake Energy Corporation has decided not to apply for shale gas exploration rights in the Karoo Basin, following a 12-month study.
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ANGOLA
Xikomba FPSO for Block 15/06
SBM Offshore has signed contracts with Italy’s Eni for the 12-year lease and operation of the Xikomba floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) on the Block 15/06 development.
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NAMIBIA
New farm-in for CBM player
Toronto-based Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas (EAOG) has sealed a deal to farm out majority stakes in two coal bed methane (CBM) licences to Belize-based West Bay Investments, a company run by Texan oilman Steve Looper
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COUNTRIES AND MARKETS
CAMEROON: Bowleven rig contract
Edinburgh-based Bowleven has given Atwood Oceanics a drilling services contract for the Atwood Aurora jackup rig.
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GUINEA: Mechanical problems
Drilling of Hyperdynamics’ well on the Sabu prospect has been delayed by mechanical problems. The company said on 14 December the well had drilled to 1,440 metres, the same depth reported on 9 November.
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COMPANIES AND PEOPLE
OPHIR ENERGY: Stein plans departure
Ophir Energy co-founder Alan Stein has announced that he will step down from the company next year, though he will continue as a consultant.
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Issue 221 - 2 December 2011
GHANA
Oil flows boost election-year budget, but Ghana faces longer wait for gas
With oil production well under way, Ghanaians are looking to see what benefits will reach them in terms of gas supply and local content. The need for gas infrastructure is increasingly pressing, but the government’s pledge to have a processing plant up and running by end-2012 looks unlikely, writes Thalia Griffiths in Accra
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SENEGAL
Timis moves into Senegal
African Petroleum Corporation has snapped up two Senegalese blocks lying either side of its Gambia acreage, increasing its footprint in a region otherwise dominated by bigger players.
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ALGERIA
‘New dawn’ beckons as Zerguine replaces Cherouati as head of Algerian hydrocarbons giant
Employees, other Algerian and international industry players are waiting to see if the new PDG can restore morale and speed up decision-making at Sonatrach, writes Jon Marks in Algiers, with John Hamilton and Oualid Khelifi
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LIBYA
Ghanem cautions against rush to new institutions
The current managers of Libya’s oil sector should not make hasty decisions about its structure, says former National Oil Corporation chairman Dr Shukri Ghanem
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Libyan crude output rises faster than expected
With foreign workers yet to re-enter in significant numbers, NOC has defied political and security problems to get a larger proportion of Libyan production back on stream than many analysts predicted, writes John Hamilton
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New oil minister is industry veteran
The appointment of Abdelrahman Benyezza as oil minister in the first post-Qadhafi government will help to reassure international oil companies that they can do business with the new Libya.
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Upstream update: Horn of Africa to witness first drilling in years, but uneven interest in basins
Political risk and insecurity have not deterred explorers planning drilling campaigns in Puntland and Ethiopia. Signs look positive for a resurgence of interest in the breakaway republic of Somaliland, and Djibouti has attracted its first exploration interest, but Eritrea has not so far been quite so lucky
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TANZANIA
BG orders ‘pirate-proof’ vessel
BG Tanzania has given UAE-based Stanford Marine a time-charter contract for the Stanford Buzzard platform supply vessel.
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Fraud claims overshadow Songo Songo
A parliamentary committee in Tanzania has accused gas producer PanAfrican Energy (PAE) of accounting irregularities and recommended termination of its production-sharing agreement (PSA). The accusations come as PAE starts work on a $130m project to double gas production capacity from Songo Songo Island.
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LIBERIA
ExxonMobil moves in
In a major boost to perceptions of Liberia’s offshore potential following two dry wells, ExxonMobil has agreed to acquire a 70% stake in Block LB-13 from Canadian Overseas Petroleum (COP) for $97m, including future spending commitments.
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GUINEA
Offshore well hits snags
The well being drilled by Hyperdynamics on the Sabu prospect offshore Guinea has been delayed by operational issues with the Jasper Explorer drillship.
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SOUTH AFRICA
Shell licence boosts South African offshore prospects
While the granting of long-awaited offshore deep-water rights to Shell and hints about the end of a shale gas moratorium will garner most of the international attention, equally noteworthy is the growing role of new indigenous players, writes Adrian J Browne
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NAMIBIA
Russians pull back from Block 1711
Sintez Group affiliate Nakor Investments, the main equity holder in Block 1711 in the Namibe Basin bordering Angola, has relinquished most of its 70% stake. Interim operator Energulf Resources said the Russian company would retain a 10% carried interest.
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ANGOLA
Total inaugurates Pazflor
Total inaugurated the Pazflor development on Block 17 on 22 November with a ceremony attended by petroleum minister José Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos, Sonangol chairman Manuel Vicente and Total chairman Christophe de Margerie.
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COUNTRIES AND MARKETS
EGYPT: Crosco back in action for Sipetrol
Croatia’s Crosco Integrated Drilling & Well Services Company has signalled its return to North Africa with the launch of drilling services for Chile’s Sipetrol International.
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REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Marine XIV licence exploration well
SOCO International has begun drilling the Makouala Marine-1 exploration well on Block Marine XIV.
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MOZAMBIQUE: Anadarko contracts new rig time
Fred Olsen Energy subsidiary Dolphin Drilling has signed contracts with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation for the provision of the drillship Belford Dolphin and a newbuild drillship under construction by Hyundai Heavy Industries.
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Issue 220 - 18 November 2011
UGANDA
More controversy in Uganda as Museveni attempts to force through Tullow deal
The government’s attempts to disregard parliament’s oil resolutions, and to weaken the capacity of a corruption probe committee, have met with considerable opposition, underlining the capacity of domestic politics to complicate Uganda’s passage to becoming an oil producer, writes Adrian J Browne
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Eighty firms compete for Uganda blocks
Petroleum commissioner Ernest Rubondo has told the ad hoc parliamentary committee investigating the oil sector that “close to 80” applications had been received from international oil companies looking to secure blocks in Uganda’s open acreage.
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ETHIOPIA
SouthWest closes in on Ogaden blocks
SouthWest Energy is on the verge of clinching two blocks in Ethiopia and has made some progress in its other acreage. The Hong Kong-registered company run by Ethiopian chairman and chief executive Tewodros Ashenafi is in the final stages of talks for the Gambella Block, and negotiations for Jimma Block, to the east of Gambella, are not far behind.
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Military technology unlocks geology
According to Hong Kong-registered, Ethiopia-based SouthWest Energy chairman and chief executive Tewodros Ashenafi, the use of full-tensor gravity (FTG) geophysical surveying technology – initially developed by Bell Labs for the US Navy’s mapping of stealth submarines and more recently applied in Uganda by Tullow Oil – had proved invaluable, even if it initially caused suspicion in the heavily militarised Ogaden region.
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NIGERIA/CORPORATE
Outlook improves for Afren as Ebok ‘turns the corner’
Analyst sentiment towards London Stock Exchange-listed Afren was given a fillip with positive newsflow from its behind-schedule Ebok development. In a research note following a field trip, Jefferies International reported “increased confidence that the delay issues are behind” the Ebok project.
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LIBERIA
Exploration failure, election violence: Liberia faces curse of Nobel
The Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to award the 2011 Peace Prize to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, just four days before the first round of Liberia’s presidential elections, was a controversial one. In her first term, Johnson Sirleaf did a remarkable job of launching the revival of a country emerging from civil war and economic chaos, but her decision to seek a second term was controversial as she had pledged to serve just one term.
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EQUATORIAL GUINEA
First oil from Aseng field
Operator Noble Energy has launched production from the Aseng Field in ofshore Block I.
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NAMIBIA
Namibia reverts to offshore bid rounds as E&P activity hots up
The state oil company may have lost its boss (see Downstream), but Namibian officials are bullish about prospects in the upstream, with progress reported on the Kudu gas project and Chariot Oil & Gas announcing a big increase in its gross mean unrisked prospective resources (to 20bn bbls) in its eight offshore blocks (AE 219/19).
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ALGERIA
Cherouati fights for job in Algiers
There is intense speculation that further change will follow at Sonatrach, with former pipelines vice president (VP) Abdelhamid Zerguine – who now heads the Algerian state energy giant’s subsidiary in Lugano, Switzerland, said to be in line to replace unpopular president director-general (PDG) Nordine Cherouati. Sources said Cherouati had been dismissing the story as a rumour and telling people not to believe it.
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MOZAMBIQUE
Eni ‘to invest $50bn’ in Mozambique gas
It has drilled only one well, but the extent of Eni’s ambitions for its gas find in Mozambique’s Offshore Area 4 are becoming apparent, with the Italian major’s chief executive, Paolo Scaroni, telling one interviewer it could invest $50bn in developing the discovery and building infrastructure to export the gas to Asia (AE 219/15).
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REGION
Jubilee a tough act to follow as IOCs confront disappointment and politics in Transform Margin
Undaunted by the latest salvo in the long-running border dispute between Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, companies active in the West African Transform Margin are pushing ahead with exploration. But emulating Tullow’s record is proving harder than several IOCs had hoped, writes Thalia Griffiths in Accra
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Upstream deals elusive as Qatar Petroleum pushes expansion
While much has been made of the push by Gulf-based companies into African and other frontier exploration and production (E&P) territories, establishing themselves in unfamiliar environments has proved more problematic than many thought.
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Issue 219 - 4 November 2011
ALGERIA
Signs of a thaw as Algiers plans better terms for IOCs, moots major gas development measures
After five years of resource nationalism and three unsuccessful licensing rounds, the Algerian government may be preparing to improve commercial terms for conventional oil and gas exploration, and is looking to promote non-conventional projects, writes John Hamilton in Madrid with African Energy correspondents in Algiers.
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South-west gas developments poised to go ahead
Another problem for energy planners in Algeria is that some proposed projects – even those essential for the long-term sustainability of gas reserves – may not be commercial.
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LIBYA
IOCs hold back from Libya as production ramps up
Two months after the fall of the Qadhafi regime, security at installations and oil fields is still the main barrier preventing international companies from returning to the country, writes John Hamilton
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MAURITANIA
Tullow consolidates as operator
Tullow Oil has agreed new production-sharing contract arrangements offshore Mauritania, where the company has identified new potential after the disappointment of the Chinguetti field.
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COTE D'IVOIRE/GHANA
Côte d’Ivoire escalates Ghana border row
Côte d’Ivoire has escalated a simmering border row with Ghana by demarcating new blocks that overlap with Ghana’s western acreage.
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NIGERIA
Shell faces US lawsuits
Royal Dutch Shell is facing two lawsuits over its operations in the Niger Delta, three months after a United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) report condemned the oil major for environmental damage and recommended it foots the $1bn clean-up bill (AE 215/20).
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GHANA
Jubilee production
Production from the Jubilee field is presently averaging around 85,000 b/d and operational problems mean it is unlikely to reach the 120,000 plateau by year-end, according to Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Jubilee came on stream in November 2010 with initial production of around 50,000 b/d.
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TUNISIA/CORPORATE
DNO takes Fkirine permit as IOCs show confidence
Norway’s DNO International has joined a spate of new arrivals in Tunisia, signing an agreement for the Fkirine exploration licence in the centre of the country.
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MOZAMBIQUE
Big gas find for Eni
Eni has made a major gas discovery with the first exploration well in Offshore Area 4 – and the Italian major is already planning a large-scale gas development
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Plans for further licensing
Mozambique is preparing a bidding round for licences on its side of Lake Niassa, and is bringing in geophysical survey specialists to assist in preparations to offer other areas, according to Instituto Nacional de Petróleo (INP) exploration manager Carlos Zacarias.
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KENYA
Exploration on Lake Turkana
A group led by Tullow Oil is preparing to drill a well on the Ngamia prospect on Block 10BB, launching an exploration programme which plans to build on the company’s Ugandan experience. Africa Oil Corporation president and chief executive Keith Hill said the choice of Ngamia had been a cause for some debate within the joint venture.
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Brumbaugh relinquishes Lamu
Bill Brumbaugh’s Swiss Oil Holdings International has given up Lamu blocks L4 and L13 after failing to find a partner.
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MADAGASCAR
Sapetro increases Indian Ocean acreage
Nigeria’s South Atlantic Petroleum (Sapetro) has agreed a farm-in deal for Madagascar’s Belo Profond Block, and is predicting “megastructures” in this deep-water acreage. Sapetro will purchase a 90% interest and operatorship from Houston-based Marex Petroleum Corporation, which will retain 10%.
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TANZANIA
Heritage moves west
Heritage Oil Corporation has signed a production-sharing agreement (PSA) covering almost the entire Rukwa Rift Basin in western Tanzania (AE 216/16).
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New Nyuni licence
London Stock Exchange-listed Aminex has finalised a new production-sharing agreement (PSA) for the 1,690km² Nyuni area. The Nyuni Area PSA has been awarded to Aminex’s Tanzanian subsidiary Ndovu Resources, replacing the Nyuni-West Songo-Songo PSA, which is expiring.
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AIM listing for Tanzania player Wentworth
Artumas Group’s successor company Wentworth Resources listed its shares on London’s Alternative Investment Market on 25 October.
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REGIONAL
Wessex plans seismic, farm-out in Mozambique Channel LNG play
Eni’s giant Mamba South discovery has not only increased the likely prospectivity of the Mozambique Channel as a major international gas play. London AIM-listed Wessex Exploration believes it has also removed a significant portion of the risk attached to its Juan de Nova acreage, a French overseas territory within the channel.
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Gas emerges as unexpected game-changer for east coast economies
The scale of the Mamba South discovery announced by Italian major Eni wasn’t such a shock after Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s upbeat reporting of its Barquentine-2 appraisal well, which has shown that northern Mozambique could become a major gas producer, just as northern neighbour Tanzania is shaping up to be.
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EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Ophir wins more gas acreage
The Malabo authorities have agreed to amend and expand Ophir Energy’s Block R production-sharing contract (PSC), increasing the block size by a third and adding to the acreage’s gas potential.
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NAMIBIA
Keyes takes a second look
Houston-based Frontier Resources International has been awarded an exploration licence for two blocks in northern Namibia’s Etosha-Ovambo Basin.
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BOTSWANA
Origin, Sasol to explore for coal seam gas
Australia’s Origin Energy Limited and South Africa’s Sasol have formed joint venture Kubu Energy Resources to explore for coal seam gas (CSG) in Botswana.
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COUNTRIES AND MARKETS
LIBERIA: Mitsubishi farms into LB-10
Japan’s Mitsubishi has taken a 10% stake in Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’s Block LB-10 in the hope of a share of the West Africa Transform Margin play.
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LIBERIA: Ultradeep round planned
Liberia plans to offer its promised ultradeep acreage next year.
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MALI: Simba PSC approved
Mali’s council of ministers has approved a decree granting a production-sharing contract (PSC) for Block 3 to ambitious Canadian minnow Simba Energy.
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REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Dry well
Lundin Petroleum has reported that the Mindou Marine-1 exploration well on Block Marine XI has failed to find hydrocarbons.
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MADAGASCAR: Tullow seeks partners
Tullow Oil is offering up to 50% equity in the Mandabe (Block 3109) and Berenty (Block 3111) exploration licences in the Morondava Basin.
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NAMIBIA: Offshore blocks for Serica
AIM-listed Serica Energy has been awarded an 85% interest in a petroleum agreement covering four large blocks and part blocks in the offshore Luderitz Basin.
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NAMIBIA: Chariot finds new leads
Chariot Oil & Gas has reprocessed and reinterpreted 2,000km of 2D seismic data on its blocks offshore central Namibia, identifying 11 new leads with 3.7bn bbl gross P50 prospective resources.
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COMPANIES AND PEOPLE
ENERGEAN: New exploration director
Former Sterling Energy exploration director Andrew Grosse has joined Energean Oil and Gas as group exploration director.
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STERLING: Ntem farm-out
Sterling Energy has farmed out 50% in its Ntem block in Cameroon, which remains under force majeure because of a border dispute with Equatorial Guinea.
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Issue 218 - 21 October 2011
UGANDA
Museveni’s opponents seize on oil issue to press for genuine change in Ugandan business
Uganda’s dynamic new parliament has hit out at the perceived lack of transparency in the oil sector, demanding full disclosure of contracts seen as controlled by the president’s inner circle. With everything from local land rights to military aircraft sales under scrutiny, the veteran president is under pressure ahead of crude production coming on stream, write Adrian J Browne and Thalia Griffiths
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Land rights controversy adds to potent mix in Uganda
The issue of land ownership is a major factor in the Ugandan oil and politics equation. During the grilling of National Resistance Movement grandees in parliament on 12 October, Buliisa MP Stephen Biraahwa Mukitale named a senior agent of the government’s Internal Security Organisation, Major Herbert Asiimwe Muramagi, as one of those accused by locals of attempting to illegally acquire land near the Taitai well in Kigorobya.
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IMF relations back on track
Normally good relations with the International Monetary Fund have been restored after a brief hiatus. The IMF had announced in February, in language dry even by its standards, that Uganda “did not complete the first review under the three-year Policy Support Instrument (PSI)”.
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LIBYA
Billions sought in Libya reparations
Hundreds of businesses, including many oil service providers, engineering and construction companies, are preparing to make billions of dollars-worth of claims against the new Libyan government for losses and damage sustained during the six-month revolution.
more
Ophir rescues Dominion in $186m deal
Ophir Energy has stepped in to buy Dominion Petroleum after the AIM-listed East Africa player failed to push through a recapitalisation plan in July. The deal could benefit both companies, writes Thalia Griffiths
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NIGERIA
Sirius eyes Ororo field
AIM-listed Sirius Petroleum has announced a financial and technical services agreement with Owena Oil and Gas and Guarantee Petroleum Company for a proposed investment in the Ororo marginal oil field in OML 95.
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CAMEROON
Bowleven bullish on Sapele
Edinburgh-based Bowleven has announced oil and gas condensate discoveries with the Sapele-3 well, boosting hopes that the discovery may prove commercial.
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REGION
Upstream update: Central Africa begins to entice
Exploration in Burundi, Zambia and Malawi is still at an early stage, but the region’s lakes are attracting companies hoping to replicate Uganda’s success, while Zambia’s varied geology and expertise in mining mean blocks have been awarded to a mix of local and international players
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MOROCCO
Onhym attracts new players
There has been an upsurge of interest in Morocco’s underexplored acreage, with Vancouver-based East West Petroleum Corporation the latest company to sign an agreement with the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (Onhym).
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TUNISIA
Bargou farm-in
Dubai-based Dragon Oil has signed a farm-in agreement with Australia’s Cooper Energy to earn a 55% interest in the Bargou exploration permit in the Gulf of Hammamet.
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COUNTRIES AND MARKETS
GHANA: Tullow contracts new rig
Tullow Oil Ghana has given Seadrill a one-year contract for operations offshore Ghana with the new-build ultra deep-water semi-submersible rig West Leo.
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NAMIBIA: HRT licence extension
Brazil’s HRT Participações em Petróleo, which took a big Namibian position by buying UNX Energy Corporation in April, has announced that the Ministry of Mines and Energy has extended the initial exploration period for offshore blocks 2815, 2816 and 2915 in the Orange Sedimentary Basin.
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SAO TOME: Oranto completes PSC for EEZ Block 3
Nigeria’s Oranto Petroleum has signed a production-sharing contract for Block 3 in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of São Tomé and Príncipe, paying a $2m signature bonus.
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COMPANIES AND PEOPLE
TOWER RESOURCES: Share placing
Tower Resources has raised $4m before expenses through a share placing by Northland Capital Partners with institutional and other investors at a price of 2.5p per share.
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PANCONTINENTAL: Namibia representative
Australia’s Pancontinental Oil & Gas has appointed Ger Kegge Namibia-based representative for its offshore oil and gas exploration project.
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Issue 217 - 7 October 2011
LIBYA
Libyan industry emerges from conflict as fields gear up to resume exports
The Libyan export industry is coming back to life, with the resumption of oil production in the western offshore and Sirte Basin’s easternmost fields, and Eni expecting gas exports to resume this month. But a return to substantial production may take longer than recent projections suggest, writes John Hamilton
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Touareg threat to Saharan production
The immediate threat to efforts to resume hydrocarbons production in the Ghadames and Murzuq basins comes from groups of armed Touareg tribesmen who have not yet accepted National Transitional Council (NTC) authority. Not all the Touareg are pro-Muammar Qadhafi, although the deposed leader recruited some as mercenary forces during the recent civil conflict.
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First-mover Heritage strikes in Libya
Heritage Oil’s acquisition of a majority stake in the well-connected Benghazi-based Sahara Oil Services Holdings (Sosh) is the first important oil sector deal in post-conflict Libya. It may help overcome earlier objections from the National Transitional Council (NTC) to Heritage’s proposals for assisting with oil field security; and it also adds a new dimension to the company’s controversial offshore exploration plans in Malta (AE 213/1, 212/16).
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EGYPT
EGPC launches 15-block bid round
Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) has launched a new bid round offering 15 blocks in the Gulf of Suez, Western Desert, Eastern Desert and Sinai. The North East Obayed (801km2) and North Matruh (798km2) blocks are in the north of the Western Desert in the Matruh area, north of the Obayed and Matruh gas fields, west of the Kanayis gas field and north-west of the Tarek gas field.
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TANZANIA
Ophir targets 21tcf of gas in new campaigns
Independent estimates by RPS Energy have put prospective resources at 21tcf in Tanzanian blocks 1, 3 and 4, where London-listed companies BG Group and Ophir Energy hold stakes.
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Shell farms into Petrobras blocks
With no sign of progress on its Pemba and Zanzibar blocks, Shell has farmed into Petrobras’ blocks 5 and 6, taking 50%. Petrobras, which remains as operator, said the Tanzanian authorities had approved the farm-out on 16 September. The blocks are in the Indian Ocean at water depths of 600-3,000 metres.
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UGANDA
Leaked US cables reveal discussion of alleged oil corruption in Uganda
Fresh details of the machinations surrounding the sale of Heritage’s Ugandan oil acreage have emerged in the latest batch of WikiLeaks releases, writes Adrian J Browne
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Upstream update: Uganda’s prolific run continues, but development may be delayed
Exploration is a success story, but a series of legal and regulatory disputes and the row over capital gains tax between Heritage Oil and Tullow Oil continue to threaten the sector
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BURUNDI
Surestream converts former UN ship for seismic
Surestream Petroleum has given the UK’s WGP Exploration a contract to convert a former United Nations fisheries vessel to carry out 2D acquisition on Lake Tanganyika.
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MALAWI
Malawi celebrates explorer’s arrival, but challenges lie ahead
The race for the few spots of remaining unclaimed territory in the East African Rift System is gathering pace, but environmental, operational and sovereignty issues could delay progress, writes Adrian J Browne
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MAURITANIA
Tullow pays $4m for Roc’s offshore interests
Australia’s Roc Oil has sold its offshore Mauritania interests to Tullow Oil for $4m as part of its strategy of pulling out of Africa.
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NIGERIA
Nigerian government battles to push through PIB, bring oil sector finances under control
There will be opposition from across Nigerian society, but key measures to restructure the hydrocarbons industry and channel windfall oil earnings are among a raft of measures the Jonathan government expects to push through in the coming months, the country’s senior economic minister told Jon Marks in Washington
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Jacka joins Aje joint venture
Australia’s Jacka Resources, which was formed by former Hardman Resources staff, has agreed with Providence Resources to take a stake in the Aje oil and gas field in OML 113.
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COUNTRIES AND MARKETS
ALGERIA: Bir El M’sena EPC contract
A consortium of state company Sonatrach, the US’ Hess and Malaysia’s Petronas has awarded a $167m engineering, procurement and construction contract to South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering for the development of the Bir El M’sena field, 300km east of Hassi Messaoud.
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ALGERIA: Licensing round awaited
Upstream regulator Agence Nationale pour la Valorisation des Hydrocarbures may now wait until early 2012 to launch its fourth licensing round, with block awards in Q2 12, according to reports from Algiers.
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EQUATORIAL GUINEA: White Rose raises stake
London-based start-up White Rose Energy Ventures has increased its stake in Block H by acquiring 11.25% from Nigeria’s Atlas Petroleum International.
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GHANA: Minnows close on Tano block
Petrel Resources and Clontarf Energy say they are close to receiving government approval of a licence for Tano 2A, a 1,532km2 onshore/offshore block close to the Jubilee oil field.
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GUINEA: Hyperdynamics vessel attacked
Highlighting the security challenges of operating offshore West Africa, armed men attacked a vessel belonging to US minnow Hyperdynamics in late September, beating up and robbing the crew.
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SIERRA LEONE: New 3D survey
TGS-Nopec has begun acquiring a new multi-client 3D seismic survey offshore Sierra Leone. On completion of the 1,038km2 survey, TGS will have over 6,200 km2 of contiguous multi-client 3D data offshore.
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COMPANIES AND PEOPLE
GULF KEYSTONE: Out of Algeria
Bermuda-based Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) has confirmed it plans to sell its 38% stake in the Algerian Hassi Bou Hamou gas project, operated by BG Group, to help finance a major project in Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) area.
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SONATRACH: Busy time for Chikhi
After business slowed in the wake of a corruption scandal that saw senior management arrested and tried, there is considerable focus on senior staff at Algerian state company Sonatrach, where director-general for associations Kamal Chikhi is gaining a higher profile.
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SBM OFFSHORE: Exxon Equatorial Guinea extension
SBM Offshore has received an extension of two years for the operating contract of the Serpentina floating production, storage and offloading vessel from ExxonMobil in Equatorial Guinea, with options to extend for a further three years.
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VICTORIA OIL & GAS: Share placing
Victoria Oil & Gas (VOG) has raised £9.5m ($15m) through a placing of 292m new shares to finance completion of the Logbaba gas and condensate project in Cameroon following the increase in its working interest to 95%.
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