Gulf of Guinea neighbors sign exploration treaty

March 18, 2020
São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea have agreed to establish a Special Zone for Joint Exploration of oil and gas reserves in the blocks bordering each country’s maritime zone.

Offshore staff

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea – São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea have agreed to establish a Special Zone for Joint Exploration of oil and gas reserves in the blocks bordering each country’s maritime zone. Ministers from the two countries have discussed how to expedite joint exploration and hope operations will be able to start from October.

Existing IOCs in São Tomé and Príncipe include Portugal’s Galp Energia, operator of block 6 and Kosmos Energy, operator of block 11, both in partnership with Shell.

Early this year Galp announced it would be drill its first well in block 6 by the end of 2020, following seismic surveys that have been conducted since 2017. Since signing a treaty in 2001, São Tomé and Príncipe has shared another joint area with neighbor Nigeria.

03/18/2020