Kosmos Adds 4th Mauritania Block (update)

Adds remark from Kosmos

Mauritania has awarded US independent Kosmos Energy a fourth offshore block.

The petroleum, energy and mines ministry said the new exploration and production contract for block C6 was signed on October 11 by Kosmos CEO Andrew Inglis and the minister Mohamed Abdel Vetah on the margins of the Mauritanides 2016 conference in the capital Nouakchott.

Kosmos already has a 60% interest since 2012 in three other contracts offshore Mauritania: blocks C8, C12 and C13. 

To date, it has drilled three successful wells offshore Mauritania. Tortue-1 and Ahmeyim-2 in the southern part of block C8 made important gas discoveries in the Greater Tortue area, while another large gas discovery in the northern part of block C8 was made by its Marsouin-1 well.

Kosmos's three offshore blocks awarded in 2012 are shown in grey; its new block C6 is to the northeast of these (Map credit: Mauritanian petroleum ministry)

Inglis said last month that Kosmos expects to take a final investment decision in 2018 on a floating LNG project, based on the Tortue field offshore Mauritania; this would put eventual start-up of such an FLNG project at 2021-22.

C6 is located to the northeast of the most northerly of Kosmos's existing three blocks. No details were given by the ministry about Kosmos's licence stake, the new block's water depth, any obligations to drill wells, or if a signature bonus was signed – but it appears the block was awarded out of round.

Kosmos had not announced the new block on its website. Its spokesman told NGW on October 20: "I can confirm that we have added block C6 offshore Mauritania to our exploration portfolio. As we have noted in the past, we see significant hydrocarbon potential offshore Mauritania and Senegal and picking up this additional acreage is consistent with our strategy to continue exploring for oil and gas in the basin."

Mark Smedley