HOUSTON, May 3 -- ExxonMobil Corp., Irving, Tex., Thursday announced its subsidiary, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Ltd., made a deepwater oil discovery, its 11th find on Angola Block 15.
Discovery well Vicango-1, drilled in 3,199 ft of water to 6,890 ft TD, is 193 miles northwest of Luanda.
Esso and Sociedade Nacionale de Combustiveis de Angola (Sonangol), the state oil company of Angola, previously announced 10 discoveries on Block 15, which has estimated recoverable resources of more than 3.5 billion boe.
Planning for multiple developments is under way, with the first due to come on stream in 2004.
Esso is the operator with 40%. Other Block 15 participants are BP Exploration (Angola) Ltd., 26.67%, Agip Angola Exploration BV, 20%, and Statoil AS, 13.33%.
ExxonMobil's subsidiaries have participated in 25 deepwater discoveries off West Africa.
