• Murphy’s Caracal-1X well finds no commercial volumes
• Second setback on CI-102 after Civette-1X
• Eni reports major Calao South discovery offshore

Following the unsuccessful Civette-1X exploration well earlier this year, Murphy Oil Corporation has reported another non-commercial result in Côte d’Ivoire.

In a statement released Monday, Feb. 23, the U.S. company said the Caracal-1X well, drilled on offshore block CI-102, encountered hydrocarbon shows but did not confirm commercially viable volumes.

Drilling reached a total depth of 8,534 feet before the well was plugged and abandoned in line with local regulations. Murphy said the data collected will be incorporated into the geological evaluation of the permit, which it operates with a 90% stake, alongside Petroci, Côte d’Ivoire’s national oil company (10%).

Civette-1X, previously drilled on the same block, had also encountered hydrocarbon shows deemed non-commercial, prompting the company to revise its interpretation of the block’s seismic data. No resource estimate has been provided following the Caracal-1X well.

In a statement published in 2025, Murphy Oil announced a three-well exploration program on block CI-102. The Bubale prospect was identified as the third target of the campaign. Operations are set to continue there in line with contractual commitments. No additional drilling has been announced at this stage.

The update comes as offshore Côte d’Ivoire has already seen a major discovery this year. In mid-February, Eni announced on its official website a discovery on the Calao South prospect, located in offshore block CI-501, with estimated volumes of up to 5 trillion cubic feet of gas and 450 million barrels of condensate.

According to the company, Calao South extends the Calao complex and ranks as Eni’s second-largest discovery in Côte d’Ivoire after Baleine.

Abdel-Latif Boureima