Murphy Oil Plans Second Well in Côte d’Ivoire After Non-Commercial Civette-1X

Murphy Oil Corporation plans to resume offshore exploration drilling after its Civette-1X well, the first in its CI-502 campaign offshore Côte d’Ivoire, returned non-commercial results. The U.S. oil producer is now preparing to drill a second exploration well as part of its ongoing prospecting programme.

Caracal well planned after Civette-1X results

The update was disclosed in Murphy Oil’s quarterly report to shareholders released on January 28. The company said it intends to drill the Caracal well and will move the drilling rig from the Civette-1X location to the new prospect. Murphy Oil has not announced a start date for drilling at Caracal, nor has it provided details on the planned target depth or the anticipated duration of operations.

The offshore exploration campaign is being carried out under a three-well programme on block CI-502, where Murphy Oil holds a 90% working interest. The remaining 10% stake is held by Petroci, Côte d’Ivoire’s state-owned oil company.

Petroleum system confirmed as campaign continues

The Civette-1X well was drilled to a total depth of 13,950 feet (4,252 metres). While hydrocarbon volumes were deemed insufficient for commercial development, Murphy Oil said the results confirmed the presence of an active petroleum system in the area, according to a statement published on January 19. Murphy Oil also identified the Bubale prospect as the third target in its CI-502 drilling campaign. Until the company signed an energy agreement on January 22 covering an offshore area of interest off Morocco’s Atlantic coast, the CI-502 block represented its sole asset on the African continent.