SHELL'S DISCOVERY: SLIM RESULTS

NIGERIA 12/01/2000

MAJOR DISCOVERIES CONFIRMED 

A year after its Agbami oil find pointed to very substantial reserves Texaco announced with considerable fanfare on Jan. 6 [...]

ANGOLA 12/01/2000

KUITO STARTS PRODUCING 

Although it was four or five weeks behind time, the production start-up on Kuito by Chevron on Jan. 5 constituted [...]

MOROCCO 21/12/1999

LPG, SOUNDING OUT MARKET 

A Moroccan source has depicted Rubis' plan to build an imports terminal with a capacity of 40,000 tons per year [...]

ANGOLA 21/12/1999

HAKURYU V TO DRILL FOR TEXACO 

The Japan Drilling semi-submersible Hakuryu V has secured a commitment [...]

CANADA 21/12/1999

SHELL PULLS OUT OF COASTAL FIELDS 

Shell has sold its 45% stake in the coastal permits [...]

Spotlight AFRICA UNITED STATES 21/12/1999

TIME FOR TRANSPARENCY 

In denouncing the secretive practices of the oil industry in its report "A Crude Awakening" (AEM 265), Global Witness has undoubtedly put paid to the impression created by its previous report on diamonds that it was banging away exclusively at [. [...]

Spotlight LIBYA CHAD 08/12/1999

KHADAFI COMES TO RESCUE CHAD'S OIL 

Colonel Muammer Kadhafi declared during a press conference on Nov. 30 that he intended to help Chad "replace Western oil companies" that pull out of the Doba oil fields project (AEM 264). He didn't dare add, however, that he was [. [...]

ANGOLA 24/11/1999

HITCHES WITH NEWBUILD 

Elf Exploration Angola's eighth find on block 17 after that of Cravo in early September is going to have to [...]

CAMEROON CHAD 24/11/1999

DOBA VICTIM OF GLOBALIZATION 

The Chad government signed a preliminary accord with Vivendi to take over management of the Societe Tchadienne d'Electricitre et d'Eau [...]

ANGOLA 24/11/1999

PRIDE/SONANGOL JV BUYS JACK-UP 

AEM understands that Sonamer Angola, a 51/49 joint venture between [...]

CONGO 24/11/1999

ELF MAY HAVE FOUND RIG FOR ULTRA DEEP 

AEM has learned that Elf is negotiating with Shell to [...]

Spotlight AFRICA 24/11/1999

TOTALFINA-ELF, RESOLVED BUT SELECTIVE 

A decision like the withdrawal – complete or partial – of Elf and Shell from the Chad oil project is automatically economic in nature. That, at any rate, was how the head of TotalFina Exploration-Production Christophe de Margerie portrayed the [. [...]

NIGERIA 10/11/1999

EA PROJECT IN STARTING BLOCKS 

In late October Shell's board gave a go-ahead to the EA project that will involve a first venture in "alternative" [...]

ANGOLA 10/11/1999

KIAME PRODUCES NEARLY 8,800 BPD AND KIABO CONTINUES 

The small Kiame oil field which was put into production [...]

Spotlight IVORY COAST 27/10/1999

NEWCOMER EDGES INTO OIL PICTURE 

Bids for the privatization of Societe Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR) are now set to close on Nov. 7. This follows changes in TotalFina's approach to the sell-off that prompted it to re-shape its bid by bringing Shell aboard in addition [. [...]

NIGERIA 29/09/1999

SHELL STILL SEEKING TWO JACK-UPS FOR EA 

Shell is still in the market for two other jack-ups [...]

RWANDA 29/09/1999

METHANE GAS PROJECT 

At the behest of Rwanda's energy ministry, the "special projects [...]

ANGOLA 28/07/1999

PRIDE AFRICA ON THE WAY 

The 51-49% joint venture between Pride International and Sonangol that owns the drillship Pride Africa has taken delivery of the [...]

NIGERIA 14/07/1999

NEW SHELL-SEDCO CONTRACT FOR TRIDENT VIII 

Shell Nigeria has agreed a new contract with Sedco Forex [...]

NIGERIA 14/07/1999

SHELL REPLACES PUMPING STATIONS 

Shell Nigeria has placed an order for two mobile pumping [...]

IVORY COAST 14/07/1999

DEEPWAER FRONTIER TO DRILL ON CI-105 

AEM has learned that Ocean Energy will drill its East [...]

MOROCCO 14/07/1999

SHELL APPLIES FOR TWO BLOCKS 

Shell and the Office National de Recherches et d'Exploitation Petrolieres [...]

Spotlight AFRICA FRANCE 14/07/1999

TOTALFIN/ELF FALLOUT FOR AFRICA 

A full week after Total Fina, which exists as such only since April 16, launched a 43 billion Euro takeover bid for Elf there is no solid indication of when Elf's board will meet to approve the "major project" that [. [...]

AFRICA 30/06/1999

EXATRADE-JOVENNA ON THE MOVE 

Exatrade is interested in extending its activities to the mining sector, concedes the South African trading company. But in fact [...]

ANGOLA 30/06/1999

TECHNIP'S LOCAL CONTENT CARD 

Technip plans to set up an engineering affiliate in Luanda in which Angola's national oil company, Sonangal, will hold a [...]

SENEGAL 30/06/1999

WOODSIDE AND ROC OIL TAKE OPTION ON 120,000 SQ.KM. LEASES 

The Australian gas company Woodside Petroleum and the Australian junior [...]

NIGERIA 30/06/1999

SHELL LOOKS FOR ELUSIVE HIGH PRESSURE JACK-UP 

Shell has again invited bids for provision of a jack-up [...]

WEST AFRICA 16/06/1999

WAGP PUSHES AHEAD 

A feasibility study on the West African Gas Pipeline project that the scheme's promoters handed to the German company Pipeline [...]

NIGERIA 16/06/1999

TOTAL TO USE SEDCO 709 

Total will use the deepwater semi Sedco 709 as previously [...]

CAMEROON 19/05/1999

WORKOVERS FOR ELF AND DEVELOPMENT IN SIGHT 

Elf has fixed the Sedco Forex jack-up Trident VIII for [...]

Spotlight 19/05/1999

SOUTH AFRICA: PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN GAS? 

A state utility could team up with private firms in investing in the initial phase of a gas pipeline network in South Africa before itself being privatized. And the state pipeline company Petronet could be the key piece in that [. [...]

ANGOLA 05/05/1999

FINAL ULTRA DEEP AWARDS SOON 

Already postponed several times, the final distribution of stakes on the first blocks in Angola's ultra deep offshore - 31, [...]

NIGERIA 14/04/1999

EARLY 2001 DRILLING FOR AMENAM 

Elf is expected in late April to issue invitations to tender for two jack-ups that it needs to drill development [...]

AFRICA 14/04/1999

SHELL QUITS THREE COUNTRIES 

The sale of Royal Dutch-Shell's exploration and production assets in Namibia, Congo Brazzaville and Ivory Coast came as a bolt [...]

NIGERIA 14/04/1999

SEDCO 709 JOB FOR SHELL 

Shell Nigeria is shortly expected to resume operations with the [...]

NIGERIA 14/04/1999

SHELL, CHEVRON AND AGIP CEASE IN-SHORE OPERATIONS 

The swamp barges Searex IV and Searex VI have been [...]

NIGERIA 31/03/1999

KADUNA SLATED FOR PRIVATIZATION 

President-elect Olusegun Obasanjo claimed there was no reason for rushing to privatize state-owned companies when he with met business leaders [...]

EUROPE 31/03/1999

SHELL POLISHES ITS PR 

Beseiged on all sides by Ogonis, Ijaws, environment NGOs, human [...]

NIGERIA 17/03/1999

ACCORD ON 3RD NLNG TRAIN 

Nigeria LNG has awarded a consortium made up of Technip, Snamprogetti, Kellog Brown & Root and Japan Gasoline Corporation the [...]

AFRICA 17/03/1999

OIL & GAS INVESTMENT CONFERENCE 

A second conference on oil and gas investment in Africa [...]

NIGERIA 17/02/1999

SHELL SLOWS DOWN ON DRILLING 

The deepwater semi Sedco 709 is due to return to Shell Nigeria at the beginning of March to begin a [...]

NIGERIA 17/02/1999

SHELL UNVEILS $8.5 BN PROJECTS 

Shell wants to press ahead with new gas and oil developments involving $8.5 billion in investments despite the fact that [...]

NEW ZEALAND 17/02/1999

SONANGOL EYES EXPLORATION VENTURE 

The state-owned Angolan oil company Sonangol is thinking of taking [...]

NIGERIA 03/02/1999

BOS WINS SHELL TENDER FOR ODIDI 

Bouygues Offshore has just won the tender issued in early [...]

NIGERIA 20/01/1999

SHELL EXAMINES NEW BIDS FOR JACK-UPS 

Shell has received new bids for its long-term shallow water [...]

ANGOLA 06/01/1999

BLOCK O TO PROVIDE 600,000 BPD 

Initial development of the Kuito field on Angola's block 14 is going to be put back relative to earlier indications [...]

ANGOLA 06/01/1999

PSA'S SIGNED FOR THREE BLOCKS 

The government announced just before the New Year that it had signed three PSA's concerning blocks 21, 22 and 24 [...]

ANGOLA 16/12/1998

SONANGOL TO MARKET PRODUCTS IN NAMIBIA AND SOUTH AFRICA 

The state-owned Angolan company Sonangol plans to start marketing oil [...]

Spotlight WEST AFRICA 16/12/1998

LAST OBSTACLES TO GAS PIPELINE 

Of the three regional gas or gas-electricity projects that could be completed by the end of the decade in sub-Saharan Africa the West African Gas Pipeline (WAPG) based on reserves in Nigeria, where 2 billion cu. [...]

Spotlight 02/12/1998

SIZING UP MEGA MERGER IMPACT ON AFRICA 

Africa certainly hasn't been a decisive factor in the flurry of mega-mergers in the oil industry which are being spurred instead by the need to cut costs in the face of plunging oil prices – in real terms these are [. [...]

NIGERIA 18/11/1998

SHELL SEEKS TWO JACK-UPS FOR EA PROJECT 

Shell has formally tendered requirements for two jack-up rigs to [...]

MAURITIUS 07/11/1998

THE STATE LAUNCHES INTO OIL STORAGE 

The Mauritian government has just settled an old subject of controversy with the island's petroleum distribution companies (ION 802) by [...]

CANADA 07/10/1998

SONANGOL MOVES IN 

The state-owned Angolan oil company Sonangol was given a green light by president Laurent Kabila on Sept. 29 to set [...]

GABON 07/10/1998

EA AND GENTRY AWAIT BETTER DAYS TO DRILL ON OFOUBOU 

Gentry Petroleum indicated that several "significant leads" had been identified [...]

NIGERIA 23/09/1998

SHELL SEEKS JACK-UP 

Shell Nigeria is in the market with its latest attempt [...]

ANGOLA 09/09/1998

FOURTH DISCOVERY ON BLOCK 17 

On Sept. 3 Elf announced its fourth discovery on block 17 in the deep Angolan offshore, Lirio. It follows Girassol [...]

MAURITANIA 26/08/1998

NEW ALLIES FOR HARDMAN 

Australian junior oil explorer Hardman Resources has found new backers to bankroll exploration in the A and B areas in [...]

NIGERIA 26/08/1998

SHELL TO DRILL ON EA WITH TWO RIGS 

Shell is shortly expected to invite bids for rigs for [...]

UGANDA 25/07/1998

OIL CARTEL 

Ugandan officials are up in arms lately over what they see as the danger of a cartel in the petroleum [...]

CAMEROON 22/07/1998

BIG IFC SYNDICATED LOAN FOR PECTEN'S PROJECTS 

The World Bank affiliate International Finance Corp. has organized a [...]

NIGERIA 22/07/1998

TWO NEW DRILLING BARGES FOR SHELL 

Shell Nigeria Eastern Division has received bids for a three [...]

NIGERIA 08/07/1998

TSKJ STUDYING NLNG EXTENSION 

The TSKJ consortium made up of Technip, Snamprogetti, MW Kellogg and JGC Corp, which is already building the first two [...]

GABON 10/06/1998

NO EXPLORATION WELLS FOR ELF 

Elf Gabon has acquired 11,000 km of seismic data out of the 13,000 km available for the eighth bidding round [...]

ANGOLA 13/05/1998

OPERATORS READY TO SIGN 

The government is shortly to sign contracts with the operators chosen for blocks 23, 24 and 25 in the middle [...]

GABON 13/05/1998

RABI KUNGA PRODUCING TOO FAST? 

"Rabi very quickly broke production records but its output will [...]

NIGERIA 29/04/1998

SHELL EXTENDS BIDDING FOR JACK-UP CONTRACT  Free

Shell has put back the closing date for bids for [...]

NIGERIA 29/04/1998

SHELL-ABACAN PROJECT FOR TRIDENT VII LEFT HANGING 

Shell Nigeria and Abacan continue to await NNPC approval of [...]

NIGERIA 08/04/1998

TOTAL-PETROBRAS FOR DEEP BLOCK? 

Total and the Brazilian company Petrobras, which produces oil off Brazil in water depths of over 1,500 meters, are reportedly [...]

GABON 11/03/1998

SHELL TO DRILL WITH ADRIATIC IX 

Shell has negotiated a two well assignment with the jack-up [...]

GABON 25/02/1998

VANCO SEEKS PARTNER 

Vanco Energy is seeking a leading company to buy up to 50% and to perhaps act as operator on its [...]

NIGERIA 25/02/1998

ABACAN WIL KEEP TRIDENT VIII ON SHARE WITH SHELL 

The rig Trident VIII looks like remaining a long time [...]

NIGERIA 25/02/1998

SHELL LOOKS FOR SHALLOW-WATER RIG 

Shell Nigeria has issued a formal tender for a contract [...]

ANGOLA 11/02/1998

SONANGOL BUYS STAKE IN RIG 

Pride International has signed a joint venture accord with Sonangol for the ownership of the deepwater drillship Pride Africa that [...]

ANGOLA 11/02/1998

ROSA 1 DOES IT AGAIN 

Elf's Rosa-1 well in block 17 that targets a distinct part of the structure on which Girasol, the first discovery [...]

CONGO 11/02/1998

TOTAL RETURNS IN REFINING-DISTRIBUTION 

Total has entered the picture for the privatization of the [...]

CAMEROON CHAD 28/01/1998

KICKOFF FOR PIPELINE 

Work on the pipeline that is to link the Doba oil basin in southern Chad to the future terminal at [...]

MOROCCO MAURITANIA 28/01/1998

TWO-WAY MOVE FOR SHELL 

Shell has rejected a proposal to buy a 70% stake and operate in blocks 4 and 5 in the deep [...]

GUINEA BISSAU SENEGAL 31/12/1997

AGC OPTIONS FOR JUNIORS 

Two little-known companies that, to our knowledge, haven't yet worked in Africa have signed an agreement with the Agence de [...]

Spotlight NIGERIA 31/12/1997

OIL WATERS UNRUFFLED 

The supposed putsch in Nigeria on Dec. 21 stirred some media interest but only briefly. From the oil standpoint, however, the re-appearance of oil minister Don Etiebet in the government formed on Dec. 16 when he had been scheduled to [. [...]

CONGO 12/11/1997

SASSOU TO REVIEW SELL-OFF 

Congo's new president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, wants to see an inventory drawn up on state-owned companies, including Hydro Congo, before [...]

NIGERIA 12/11/1997

SHELL CONFIRMS SEDCO 709 UNTIL 2001 

Shell confirmed its first extension option (three years) for the [...]

AFRICA 29/10/1997

SHELL ANNOUNCE RECORD SOLAR ENERGY PROGRAM 

The Royal Dutch-Shell group has unveiled a five year investment [...]

ANGOLA 15/10/1997

CONTRACT EXTENDED FOR PETROBRAS XI 

Chevron-Gulf has extended its contract with the jack-up Petrobras XI [...]

Spotlight AFRICA 15/10/1997

CHEVRON'S ANGOLAN ELEPHANT HAS FOOT IN CONGO 

Angola has a great future owing to its oil, diamonds and other natural resources. But one factor in its stabilization is the Democratic Republic of Congo, where its new allies have closed the door to UNITA, while another factor in [. [...]

SAUDI ARABIA 01/10/1997

ARAMCO DROPS PETROGAL 

Saudi Aramco announced on Sept. 23 that negotiations on an agreement in July to take a 27.5% in Petrogal, Portugal's [...]

ANGOLA 17/09/1997

HAKURYU V STARTS WORK FOR SHELL 

The semi-submersible drilling rig Hakuryu V has arrived from Africa [...]

Spotlight AFRICA 17/09/1997

START TO GIRASOL CONTRACTING 

Elf had long thought of helping to finance a deep-water drilling unit for work in Angola's Block 17 in view of the scarcity of rigs adapted to the job and it has now clinched an agreement with Pride-Foramer to that [. [...]

WEST AFRICA 03/09/1997

RACE FOR DEEP WATER RIGS 

There has been no let-up in the race among operators to find slots in the timetables of rigs adapted to [...]

MAURITANIA SENEGAL 03/09/1997

SHELL'S RETURN 

The strategy of Hardman Resources from the outset has been to find a Major to farm-in on blocks 3, 4 [...]

Spotlight AFRICA 03/09/1997

ELF'S EVER STRONGER AFRICAN FOCUS 

During the Le Floch period Elf Aquitaine sought a "third" production center in addition to the North Sea and Africa and the group's current president, Philippe Jaffré is talking of forging an "east-west axis." Both endeavors underline the group's need [. [...]

NIGERIA 02/07/1997

A $4.7 BILLION SHOPPING LIST 

Regardless of whether NNPC falls behind with cash calls or not Nigeria's offshore equipment market remains huge. That was amply [...]

ANGOLA 02/07/1997

RANGER TO DRILL WITH HAKURYU V 

Japan Drilling's semi-submersible rig Hakuryu V, which will arrive in [...]

Spotlight NIGERIA 02/07/1997

OIL, HEADWAY DESPITE SNAGS 

The decision by Nigerian oil minister Dan Etete to cancel Ashland's contracts indeed concerns the four licences on which it operated and wanted to sell to Perenco, sources have confirmed to AEM. The contracts involved not only its partnership with [. [...]

CAMEROON 18/06/1997

LIPENDJA IN START-UP 

The small satellite Lipendja being developed by Shell-Pecten as operator [...]

NIGERIA 18/06/1997

MOBIL TO DRILL AGAIN IN DEEP OFFSHORE 

Mobil plans to drill in Nigeria's deep offshore again in [...]

NIGERIA 04/06/1997

SHELL CONFIRMS INTEREST IN REGIONAL GAS PIPELINE 

Michael Weston, managing director of Shell's gas division, confirmed in [...]

ANGOLA 21/05/1997

HOUSING PROJECT ON THE MOVE 

Plan to build homes for executives south of Luanda that [...]

CONGO 07/05/1997

ELF TO OPERATE IN ULTRA DEEP WATER 

Elf Congo has just been awarded the last available licence in the deep Congo offshore and the upper basin of [...]

NIGERIA 07/05/1997

SHELL STILL SEEKING SEMIS 

Service companies have just received formal tender documents from Shell [...]

NAMIBIA 23/04/1997

JAPANESE RIG FOR NAMIBIA 

The Japanese semi-submersible Hakuryu IV, owned by Japan Drilling, will [...]