Chevron Signs Agreement to Conduct Deepwater Exploration Offshore Morocco

By Saabira Chaudhuri

Chevron Corp. (CVX) has signed petroleum agreements related to three offshore areas in Morocco, a push to expand its footprint in frontier basins.

The oil and gas company has signed the agreements with Morocco’s Office National Des Hydrocarbures Et Des Mines which, once awarded, will allow Chevron to acquire seismic data and conduct studies in deepwater areas known as Cap Rhir Deep, Cap Cantin Deep and Cap Walidia Deep located between 60 miles and 120 miles west and northwest of Agadir, Morocco. The areas encompass about 11,300 square miles with average water depths ranging from between 330 feet to 14,700 feet.

“This is an opportunity for Chevron to expand its already strong presence in the region and allows us to acquire further knowledge about promising geology in an emerging area,” said Ali Moshiri, president of Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration and Production Co.

Chevron has a 75% working interest in the three areas, with the Office National Des Hydrocarbures Et Des Mines holding the remaining 25%.

Chevron and other large oil and gas producers have been suffering the impact of a shaky global economy on oil and gas prices. In November, Chevron reported its third-quarter earnings fell 33%, missing expectations as its oil and gas production was disrupted by maintenance, legal issues and storms, and a refinery fire in California caused a sharp drop in fuel sales.

Earlier this month, the second-largest U.S. oil company by market value said it expects its fourth-quarter profit to rise compared with the previous quarter, benefiting from gains on assets and increased U.S. and international production.

Last month, Chevron said its Australian unit made two more natural-gas discoveries in the Exmouth Plateau area of the Carnarvon Basin, a hydrocarbon basin offshore western Australia.

Shares edged down by 55 cents to $114.69 in recent trading. The stock has risen 7.3% in the past 12 months.

-Write to Saabira Chaudhuri at [email protected]