A group led by CC Energy Development SAL has spudded a wildcat 6 km east of Saiwan East heavy oil field on Block 4 in eastern Oman on a prospect similar to the field.

Chevron Corp. subsidiaries have completed a transaction to acquire interests in two blocks in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

ERHC Energy Inc., Houston, said the Republic of Chad has issued the company an exclusive exploration authorization for the Chari-Ouest III, BDS 2008, and Manga blocks in southern Chad covered by ERHC’s production sharing contract.

A group led by CC Energy Development SAL (Oman branch) has discovered the Barik reservoir to be oil-bearing in three more previously undrilled fault blocks at Farha South field on Block 3 onshore northern Oman.

Ecopetrol of Colombia said its Brazilian subsidiary will acquire a 30% interest in three Santos basin exploration blocks offshore Brazil from PanAtlantic Energy Group, formerly Vanco Overseas Energy Group, Houston.

Neon Energy Ltd., Perth, said its Paloma Deep-2 appraisal well in the San Joaquin basin of California confirmed the extension of the hydrocarbon-bearing zones encountered in its Paloma Deep-1 discovery well and penetrated a McDonald sandstone reservoir with good oil and gas shows.

Borders & Southern Petroleum PLC will plug and abandon its 61/25-1 Stebbing exploratory well in the South Falkland basin with inconclusive results in shallower formations and leaving the lower targets unevaluated.

Junex, Quebec City, has begun line-cutting for a 250 line-km 2D seismic program to evaluate the oil potential of the Macasty shale and deeper geologic horizons on five permits totaling 233,275 acres on Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence offshore Quebec.

Repsol Exploracion SA will plug and abandon the Jaguar-1 exploratory well offshore Guyana before reaching the primary objective at 6,500 ft.

The government of Sierra Leone has awarded offshore exploratory blocks to several companies.

Americas Petrogas Inc., Calgary, has set production casing at a vertical exploratory well on the Totoral block in Argentina’s southern Neuquen basin and plans to test the Vaca Muerta shale and possibly other formations.

Total SA has become operator of the deepwater Xerelete concession in the Campos basin offshore Brazil, where the Xerelete heavy oil discovery was drilled in 2001.

Lundin Malaysia BV has spudded the first of a five-well 2012 exploratory program on the SB307 and 307 blocks in Malaysian waters offshore Sabah.

PetroFrontier Corp., Calgary, plans to conduct a 10-stage frac in the Lower Arthur Creek "hot shale" at each of its three wells in a joint venture with Statoil Australia Oil & Gas AS in the southern Georgina basin in Australia's Northern Territory.