• Murphy Oil has mobilized the Deepwater Skyros rig offshore Abidjan to drill the first of three planned exploration wells.

• The company holds 85–90% stakes across five Ivorian offshore blocks under production-sharing contracts with the state and PETROCI.

• Ivorian media reported in November that Murphy seeks to acquire a sixth offshore block as it expands its portfolio.

Murphy Oil advanced toward its first oil exploration well in Côte d’Ivoire after the Deepwater Skyros drilling platform mobilized offshore Abidjan, Upstream Online reported on 4 December. Ivorian media signaled the company’s expansion ambitions in November 2025, noting that Murphy had begun efforts to widen its offshore footprint without disclosing associated operational objectives.

The U.S. company prepares to drill a prospect identified within its offshore acreage under a program that includes three exploration wells. The operation launches its first field activities in the country, although Murphy has not released public guidance on expected outcomes.

Murphy holds 85% to 90% interests in offshore blocks CI-102, CI-103, CI-502, CI-531 and CI-709 under five production-sharing contracts signed with the Ivorian state and national oil company PETROCI. The company has not specified which blocks will host the three planned wells or which site it will drill first.

Block CI-103 contains the Paon prospect, previously documented in earlier exploration work. Murphy’s current plans align with broader industry interest in the Tano Basin, which spans Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and hosts major discoveries, including Jubilee, TEN, Sankofa, Baleine and Calao.

Several Ivorian outlets reported in November 2025 that Murphy aims to strengthen its Ivorian presence by acquiring a sixth offshore block. The company has not published a detailed timeline for drilling or for post-well phases, and it continues to present the initiative as an exploratory campaign whose modalities remain to be defined.

This article was initially published in French by Abdel-Latif Boureima

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum