African Petroleum will be looking for a sixth generation drilling rig in the near future to be used in its forthcoming deepwater campaign offshore the Ivory Coast.

After gaining approval for license extensions on two of its blocks, CI-509 which was extended to March 2016 and block CI-513 extended to December 2015, the company says it will be using the additional time to begin looking for an appropriate sixth-generation unit “for a wider drilling program.” It is also seeking to build a partnership group to explore what it calls the promising area of the Ivory Coast deepwater margin.

The rig search will be taking place while the company takes a long hard look at recently acquired 3-D data as it seeks to optimise future drilling locations for previously identified prospects, which were mapped for a 2014 competent persons report (CPR). Those prospects are now being reassessed with the new seismic data, the company has said.

African Petroleum has also traded 3-D data with Total following the French major’s recent operated oil discovery in block CI-514 – which hit 40 m (131 ft) of net oil pay and 34° API light oil. Data has also been traded with the Vitol-operated group over acreage immediately north of African’s territory, allowing further calibration of the company’s data.

Offshore