Joint Oil Exploration, Exploitation and Petroleum Services Company (Joint Oil) and its appointed adviser, Moyes & Co. (Moyes), have opened a bid round for the Joint Oil Block and Zarat Discovery, running from 7 September to 31 December 2026. The opportunity will be presented at the World Energy Summit in London on 29 to 30 September 2026. Bidders must submit their offers by 8 January 2027, with successful bidders expected to be notified by 26 February 2027 and formal awards completed by 30 April 2027.
The offshore acreage covers about 3,000 sq km in water depths of 80 to 120 meters within the Gabes-Tripoli Basin of the central Mediterranean. Its location could support greater energy cooperation between Tunisia and Libya, particularly around the development of resources that extend across their shared offshore boundary.
The bid package is structured under an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) and includes 6,500 km of 2D seismic and 1,900 sq km of 3D seismic data. These datasets provide access to existing plays, leads, and prospects across the acreage. The area also includes several wells, including Zohra-1 drilled in 1976, El Amal South-1 in 1999, Besmah-1 and El Amal North-1 in 2002, and Zarat North-1 in 2010. Nearby fields and discoveries include El Bouri, El Jurf, and Bahr El Salam in Libya, as well as Hasdrubal, Ashtart, Miskar, and Didon in Tunisia.
The Zarat Discovery, which extends across the Tunisia-Libya border, will be developed as a unitized oil and gas resource. Its development will follow a Development and Production Sharing Agreement (DPSA), Unitization Agreement (UA), Unit Operating Agreement (UOA), and Operating Services Contract (OSC).
The acreage sits close to several producing fields across the Sabratha-Gabes Basin, including Al Jurf, Bahr Essalam, and Bouri offshore Libya, as well as Ashtart, Didon, and Miskar offshore Tunisia. Its proximity to these assets could give future investors access to existing infrastructure, regional export routes, and potential operational synergies.
source:oilreviewafrica.com
African Energy Council