Africa Oil takes over Block 9 as Asians withdraw

China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Taiwan’s CPC have pulled out of onshore Block 9, leaving Africa Oil Corporation (AOC) to take over the operatorship as it enters the first additional exploration phase. Africa Oil will now hold a 66.7% working interest in the block, with Lion Energy Corporation holding the remaining 33.3%. As a condition of entering the new phase, 25% of the original contract area will be relinquished. A well has to be drilled by December 2013. The Boghal-1-1 well was drilled to a depth of 5,085 metres and found a potentially large gas accumulation in the Lower Cretaceous, although monetising gas from that depth is not easy.