Gabon licensing sows confusion

The process of awarding blocks from Gabon’s pre-salt licensing round continues to cause confusion for oil companies. Several years in preparation, the new hydrocarbons code was adopted in February, passed by edict by the government during a parliamentary recess. However, a different version was published in the Official Gazette on 25 April. Law firm Miranda Correia Amendoeira & Associados says the bill will need to be ratified when parliament is next in session and could be amended then. A list of 13 block awards was published in October 2013 and companies were invited for contract talks. Then, in May, oil minister Etienne Ngoubou said three had been dropped because they lacked the necessary financial strength.