14 April 2015, Newswires – Total has pulled out of deep-water Block 41 off Oman, according to a report.
The French supermajor has halted exploration on Block 41 after failing to make a commercially-attractive discoveries, Reuters cited Oman’s undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil & Gas, Nasset Al Aufi, as saying on Monday.
Total signed an exploration and production sharing agreement in December 2013 for the block, which lies off the Omani coast north-west of Muscat.
Block 41 covers a large unexplored area of almost 24,000 square kilometres, in water depths ranging from 30 to more than 3000 metres.
The exploration programme began with seabed coring in 2014, according to data from Total.
The senior Omani official did not give any further information on Total’s plans for the region.
Upstream awaits confirmation from Total on the company’s plans for the region.
The group has a 4% interest in Petroleum Development Oman, the Sultanate’s oil company operating block 6, and also holds a 2% interest in block 53, which is operated by Occidental.
– Upstream