The partnership drilling the Shabeel North exploratory well in Puntland, Somalila, has elected to deepen the well to 3,400 m from 2,200 m to evaluate the Lower Cretaceous and Jurassic sections.

Lundin Petroleum AB found the mid-Miocene target sands to be water-bearing in the Tiga Papan-5 well on Blocks SB307 and SB308 offshore Sabah, Malaysia.

China National Offshore Oil Corp. will participate with Shell Gabon in two exploratory blocks offshore Gabon.

China National Offshore Oil Corp. has signed production sharing contracts with Shell China Exploration & Production Co. Ltd. for the 62/02 and 62/17 blocks in the Yinggehai basin south and west of Hainan Island.

Modiin Energy LP has signed a detailed drilling contract with Noble International Ltd. under which the Homer Ferrington semisubmersible will spud an exploratory well on the Gabriella license offshore Israel before June 30, 2013.

Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp., Toronto, will operate and acquire a 40% participating interest in the Portofino heavy oil exploration block in the Caguan-Putumayo basin of southern Colombia.

Production capacity of Marathon gas-condensate field in Atchafalaya Bay offshore Louisiana has risen to 50-60 MMcfd with completion of a new pipeline, said Petsec Energy Ltd., Sydney.

Exoma Energy Ltd. has completed the Sancho-1 exploratory well on ATP 999P in central Queensland, Australia, after an operating delay due to wet weather.

Energean Oil & Gas SA, Athens, and Petra Petroleum Inc., Vancouver, BC, have applied under Greece’s open door process to license the 4,187 sq km Ioannina contract area onshore in northwestern Greece.

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.