Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (Cabgoc), a subsidiary of Chevron, has confirmed that one person is missing following a fire that broke out on its offshore oil platform early Tuesday. The incident also left 17 people injured, including four in serious condition. The fire occurred on the basement deck of the Benguela Belize Lobito Tomboco (BBLT) deepwater platform, located in Block 14 offshore Cabinda, Angola. The facility was undergoing scheduled annual maintenance, and all production
A fire broke out early this morning on the Benguela Belize Lobito Tomboco (BBLT) deep-water oil platform in Angola, injuring 17 workers, four of them seriously, according to a statement from the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG). The platform is operated by Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (Cabgoc), a Chevron subsidiary, and is located in Block 14 within the maritime zone of Cabinda. The incident occurred around 3:00 AM on the subsoil deck
Côte d’Ivoire has signed a strategic partnership with U.S.-based Yaatra Ventures to develop a second oil refinery, aiming to expand its refined petroleum exports across West Africa. The project, developed in collaboration with the state-owned Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage (SIR), is expected to attract more than CFA 3,000 billion (approximately $5.1 billion) in investment. During the signing ceremony, Energy Minister Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly emphasized the country’s ambition to double its refining capacity. Yaatra and SIR
Sintana Energy Inc. has secured a new exploration opportunity in Angola through a strategic agreement that strengthens its position in West Africa’s energy sector. The agreement grants Sintana an indirect 5% interest in the KON-16 onshore block in Angola’s Kwanza Basin through a partnership with UK-based Corcel Plc. The collaboration also opens the door for both companies to pursue additional ventures across the region. As part of the deal, Sintana will invest $2.5 million—beginning with
Seplat Energy has unveiled plans to revive over 400 dormant oil wells across its assets as part of a strategic move to boost production and reinforce its position in Nigeria’s energy sector. The announcement was made by Chief Operating Officer Samson Ezugworie during the company’s post-Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lagos on Wednesday. Seplat currently operates eight of the 11 oil blocks in its portfolio—seven onshore and four offshore. Ezugworie described these assets as
Shell paid $5.34 billion to Nigeria in 2024—the highest amount it paid to any country that year—according to figures released Thursday as part of a UK legal disclosure. The payments, which include taxes and other extractive-related charges, marked an increase from 2023. This surge comes as Shell prepares to exit its onshore oil operations in Nigeria after decades of activity marked by environmental controversies and social unrest. Although the company will maintain its offshore operations,
Petrobras, Brazil’s state-controlled oil giant, is actively seeking a return to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, with a renewed focus on frontier deepwater exploration. This marks a strategic shift from its earlier divestment approach and signals Petrobras’ intent to expand its global footprint once again. The development was revealed by Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Shettima attributed Petrobras’ revived interest to the economic reforms being implemented under President
French energy giant TotalEnergies has announced plans to begin offshore drilling in South Africa in 2025, pending regulatory approval. The move represents a potential turning point in South Africa’s efforts to grow its oil and gas exploration sector. Mike Sangster, TotalEnergies’ Senior Vice President for Africa, disclosed the company’s intentions at an industry conference on Tuesday. He confirmed that TotalEnergies currently holds exploration rights over four offshore blocks in South African waters. If the drilling
Nigeria’s Dangote Oil Refinery has cancelled a planned maintenance shutdown for June on its 204,000 barrels-per-day gasoline-producing unit, having completed the necessary work during an earlier unplanned outage, according to industry data from IIR (Industrial Info Resources). The maintenance was originally scheduled to last 30 days in June and would have targeted the refinery’s Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit, which is critical for gasoline production. However, the refinery used the unexpected downtime between April
Koidu Limited, Sierra Leone’s largest diamond mining company, has suspended operations and laid off the majority of its local workforce—more than 1,000 employees—due to a protracted dispute over wages and working conditions. The conflict began with a strike in December 2024, which workers temporarily paused in hopes of reaching an agreement through negotiations. However, after talks stalled, employees resumed industrial action in early March, according to Reuters. Charles Kainessie, president of the Koidu Limited Workers’
