By Flemming Emil Hansen
COPENHAGEN--Maersk Oil, the oil and gas producing division of
Danish industrial conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S
(MAERSK-B.KO), said Monday it has made a new oil discovery at an
exploration block offshore Angola.
Maersk Oil and partners Sonangol P&P and Odebrecht Oil and
Gas Angola Ltd. have struck oil at the Caporolo-1 exploration well
in exploration Block 16 in the Lower Congo Basin.
A test produced a maximum flow rate of 3,000 barrels of oil a
day, said Maersk Oil.
The discovery was made some 13 kilometers from the Chissonga
discovery, also in Block 16, which Maersk and partners made in
2009. Earlier this year, Maersk also announced that it hat hit oil
with its first pre-salt well, the Azul-1 deepwater exploration
well, located in Block 23 in the Kwanza Basin.
"We are encouraged by yet another success on Block 16. This is a
result of our continued commitment to Angola and a further step
towards our goal of building up significant business in the
country," said Maersk Oil Angola managing director Anders
Damgaard.
"The successful results of the Caporolo-1 well warrants
additional appraisal and substantial evaluation to determine
whether the discovery is large enough to eventually develop," he
said.
Maersk Oil is the operator of and owns a 65% interest in Block
16, Odebrecht Oil and Gas Angola Ltd. holds 15%, Sonangol P&P
20%, while Sonangol E.P. is the block concessionaire.
Maersk Oil has been active in Angola since buying an initial 50%
stake in Block 16 in 2005.
Write to Flemming Emil Hansen at
flemming.hansen@dowjones.com
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