Murphy Oil announces discovery offshore Côte d’Ivoire

Murphy Oil Corporation has made an oil discovery at the Bubale-1X exploration well offshore Côte d’Ivoire, the company announced on Monday.

The Bubale-1X well was drilled in Block CI-709 approximately 64 kilometres offshore Côte d’Ivoire to a total depth of 6,263 metres under 2,376 metres of water, encountering 30 metres of net oil pay across two reservoirs. Preliminary assessments indicate the presence of high-quality light oil.

Early results reinforce the prospectivity of our Côte d’Ivoire acreage. We are pleased with the results to date, which underscore the value of a disciplined and consistent exploration approach,” said Murphy Oil president and CEO Eric Hambly.

Bubale-1X is the third and final well in Murphy Oil’s current three-well exploration campaign in Côte d’Ivoire. The company said it will move into a further evaluation phase, adding that it plans to drill one additional well in the second half of 2026 to test the extent of the discovery.

Murphy Oil holds a 90% working interest in Block CI-709, with Petroci as its block partner with a 10% stake.

Murphy Oil is an independent oil and natural gas company with onshore and offshore operations in the US, Canada, Vietnam and Côte d’Ivoire.