VAALCO Energy is riding a wave of operational momentum in West Africa, reporting better-than-expected results from its Gabon drilling campaign while setting the stage for a second-quarter production restart in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Etame 14H development well has been successfully drilled, completed, and brought online within the Main Fault Block of the Etame field in offshore Gabon. The well encountered approximately 325 metres of net pay in high-quality Gamba reservoir sands — with better-than-expected porosity and permeability — achieving initial production rates of approximately 4,850 gross barrels of oil per day (BOPD), or 2,850 BOPD net to VAALCO.
Following the Etame 14H completion, the drilling rig has been mobilised to the Ebouri platform where the EEBOM-5H development well has commenced drilling. The well targets an attic position through a sidetrack from the previously abandoned EEBOM-5P well, with additional workovers planned to support incremental production.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the Baobab FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading Vessel) has returned from a 47-day refurbishment program at the Dry Dock World shipyard in Dubai and is currently undergoing reconnection of risers and subsea infrastructure on the CI-40 block. Production restart remains on track for the end of second-quarter 2026.
“We are at a critical junction, with successes in the Gabon drilling campaign and the Baobab field returning to production,” said VAALCO CEO George Maxwell. “We believe that the remainder of 2026 will be very profitable.”
Sources: worldoil.com, energy-pedia.com