Houston-headquartered Murphy Oil is maintaining its offshore exploration campaign off Côte d’Ivoire after the Civette well on Block CI-502 confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons that do not meet commercial thresholds.
Results from Civette were announced only days after the U.S. company reported a positive appraisal well on an existing oil find in Vietnam’s offshore Cuu Long Basin.
At Civette, the exploration well was drilled to a total depth of 4,252 m (13,950 ft). According to Murphy Oil, hydrocarbons were identified in several intervals, but in quantities below what the company considers sufficient for commercial development.
Eric Hambly, President and Chief Executive Officer of Murphy Oil, said that even though Civette is not a commercial success, the result is still important for early-stage exploration in the basin because it shows that this new play does contain hydrocarbons. He added that the information gathered from the well improves the company’s understanding of the subsurface and helps refine remaining opportunities on Block CI-502.
On Block CI-502, Murphy holds a 90% operating interest, while state oil company Société Nationale d’Opérations Pétrolières de la Côte d’Ivoire (PETROCI) owns the remaining 10%. The partners plan to continue their Côte d’Ivoire exploration programme, with work moving on to the Caracal and Bubale prospects.
