Total has signed an exploration and production-sharing agreement for deepwater Block 41 with Oman's Ministry of Oil & Gas, the company announced today.
The block is off the northern Omani coast, northwest of the capital, Muscat. It spans 23,850sq km, with depths ranging to 3000m, and has 3700km of previously acquired 2D seismic data coverage.
Oman is a small, predominantly onshore producer and is not a member of OPEC.
"This acquisition is aligned with Total's ambitious exploration strategy focused on frontier basins and new plays with strong potential," said Arnaud Breuillac, Total's head of exploration for the Middle East.
Total is involved in deepwater projects off West Africa, in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and plans to start exploring in the Gulf of Oman next year.
Oman's offshore activity is relatively new. Norway's DNO International ASA began offshore production in 2012, from shallow water Block 8, near the Strait of Hormuz.
Block 41 was previously licensed to India's Reliance Industries, but the block remains undrilled.
Map: Blocks on offer in the November 2012 Oman Bid Round (pink shading). Source: PetroView®, from Deloitte.
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