Murphy Oil Kicks Off Production at Azurite Offshore Congo

MPS Block, Congo
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Murphy Oil announced that initial oil production has commenced at its Azurite field in the Mer Profonde Sud (MPS) block, in territorial water (Atlantic Ocean) of the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). Azurite, initially discovered in 2005, marks the Company's first operated development in the West Africa region.

The Azurite development is located in about 4,500 feet of water and utilizes the industry's first Floating Production Storage and Offloading facility with drilling capability (FDPSO.) The FDPSO has storage capacity of 1.3 million barrels of oil and the capability to process 40,000 barrels of oil per day and is being used for drilling and completing the production and injection wells.

Murphy Oil Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer, David M. Wood, said, "The Azurite project marks an innovative approach to minimizing the cost and maximizing the value of a deepwater development. Production from the field will continue to ramp up for the remainder of the year as additional wells are brought on stream."