Shell Restarts Tanzania Drilling : Ophir

Shell and its joint venture partners, Pavilion Energy and Ophir Energy, have announced the start of their drilling programme covering two wells in Block 1 and 4 in the Mafia Deep basin offshore Tanzania, said UK-listed Ophir in a stock market release November 3.

The rig supporting the programme, Noble Globe Trotter 2, is expected to begin operations towards the end of October 2016 and will be drilling in waters up to 2,300 metres deep, said Ophir, adding that the joint venture partners will be investing close to $80mn. 

The two wells will meet the remaining exploration requirements as per the exploration licences issued by Tanzania's energy ministry. Shell, which told NGW that its own statement echoes Ophir's, became the operator of the two blocks after taking over BG in February 2016.

Shell and its Block 1 and 4 partners are working with state Tanzania Petroleum Development Corp – and other Block 2 partners – on future development of Tanzania LNG. Ophir said that onshore project "is being developed at a time of great industry change and historic low oil prices; in the current investment climate, there is a critical need to have strong project fundamentals, including government support and co-operation."

Mark Smedley