Nouakchott, July 24 - Neftegaz.RU. Shell signed 2 Production Sharing Contracts with the government of Mauritania for the exploration and potential future production of hydrocarbons in the offshore blocks C-10 and C-19.
Following the customary government approvals of the contracts, Shell will set up an office in Nouakchott and begin exploration activities, starting with reprocessing and analysis of existing seismic data and acquisition of new data.
Blocks C-10 and C-19 are located offshore Mauritania in water depths ranging from 20 to 2,000 meters. The total area of two blocks is approximately 23,675 square kilometres.
This move represents Shell’s entry into the West African Atlantic Margin exploration basin, which has significant potential, said Andy Brown, Shell’s Upstream Director.
Shell will operate the exploration program with a 90 % interest. Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures et de Patrimoine Minier, the national oil company of Mauritania, holds a 10 % interest.
