Statoil ASA and Azerbaijan’s state SOCAR have signed agreements to jointly explore and develop the Zafar-Mashal structures in the Caspian Sea offshore Azerbaijan.

Americas Petrogas Inc., Calgary, has reported an operated, vertical gas-condensate discovery in the Vaca Muerta shale on the Los Toldos I block in Argentina’s Neuquen basin.

A group led by Lundin Petroleum AB has made an oil discovery on the western flank of the Utsira high 15 km south of Edvard Grieg field in the Central North Sea offshore Norway.

BP Exploration Operating Co. has encountered gas-condensate in reservoirs of varying quality at the North Uist exploratory prospect on the Atlantic margin west of the Shetland Islands.

Bankers Petroleum Ltd., Calgary, has begun injectivity testing at the first pilot polymer flood location in Patos-Marinza field in Albania.

Lundin Petroleum AB, Stockholm, has spudded the 7/4-3 exploratory well on PL495 in the North Sea offshore Norway.

A group led by OMV AG has submitted a declaration of commerciality for Bina Bawi field east of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Co. (ADMA-OPCO) has let two contracts for its development of Satah Al-Razboot (SARB) oil field about 120 km offshore Abu Dhabi’s northwestern coast (OGJ Online, May 3, 2011).

Contested areas of the South China Sea have not been assessed to hold large conventional oil and natural gas resources, the US Energy Information Administration said.

Petroleum Development Oman reported a giant gas-condensate discovery in the northern part of its concession area 40 km west of Saih Rawl field.