Murphy Oil is moving rapidly to appraise its Bubale oil discovery offshore Côte d’Ivoire while advancing new exploration opportunities in Vietnam, Cameroon and Mauritania.
The Bubale-1X exploration well in Block CI-709 encountered approximately 100 ft of net oil pay across Turonian and Cenomanian reservoirs. Preliminary results indicate high-quality light oil, prompting Murphy to plan an appraisal programme of up to five wells over the next 18–24 months.
The first appraisal well, Bubale West-1X in Block CI-103, is already under way. Murphy has allocated approximately $190 million to the discovery in 2026, including additional expenditure on logging and evaluation at Bubale-1X and $90 million for Bubale West-1X. The campaign will assess the discovery’s size, reservoir quality and development potential.
In Vietnam, Murphy has completed appraisal of the shallow-water Hai Su Vang discovery. Hai Su Vang-2X delivered what the company described as highly favourable results, while Hai Su Vang-3X encountered hydrocarbons and Hai Su Vang-4X was dry. Murphy now estimates gross recoverable resources of 200–300 million boe and is evaluating Hai Su Vang as a potential development hub for further exploration prospects.
The company also spudded the Lac Da Trang North-1X exploration well in Block 15-1/05 during July. Elsewhere, it has advanced agreements covering exploration blocks in Cameroon and applied for offshore acreage in Mauritania, with contracts in both countries targeted for completion during the second half of 2026.
Image credit Murphy Oil
