Overview

• Eni North Africa has re-entered the C1-16/4 (BESS-3) exploratory well in Block 16/4 after a five-year pause triggered by the 2020 pandemic.
• Saipem’s sixth-generation Scarabeo-9 semi-submersible is re-entering the well to complete drilling to a planned depth of about 10,520 feet.
• Ensco’s 4005 began the well on March 11, 2020, reached roughly 1,012 feet, then operations were suspended, the well secured and the rig decommissioned in April 2020.
• The well sits in Contract Area D, about 95 km off Libya in roughly 743 m of water and around 15 km from the Bahr Es Salam gas field.
• NOC reports growing engagement with majors including BP, Shell and ExxonMobil alongside Eni’s return, aligning with its stated goal to lift output toward 2 million bpd by 2028.