Earnings Release • Apr 30, 2015
Earnings Release
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NSX - QUARTERLY ACTIVITIES REPORT AND CASHFLOW
QUARTERLY DISCLOSURE DECLARATION
30 April 2015 - On behalf of the Board of African
Petroleum Corporation Limited (the "Company"), we
declare that the Board has reviewed the operations
of the Company and, in the opinion of each member
of the Board:
(a) all matters that require disclosure have
been disclosed by the Company in accordance with
Listing Rules of the NSX; and
(b) the market remains fully informed as to the
prospects and activities of the Company
HIGHLIGHTS
CORPORATE
- On 10 February 2015, African Petroleum announced
the completion of the private placement,
successfully raising NOK 95,106,200 (approximately
US$12.5 million)
- Approximately US$ 11.6 million cash at bank as at
31 March 2015, together with US$12m restricted cash
that will be released upon the achievement of
certain drilling milestones in Côte d'Ivoire
- On 16 March 2015, African Petroleum announced the
results of the General Meeting with all resolutions
being passed on a show of hands
- On 10 February 2015, African Petroleum announced
its intention to launch a subsequent repair
offering. On 17 March 2015, the application period
under the subsequent repair offering commenced and
closed on 1 April 2015 raising a total of NOK
4,061,516 (approximately US$505,000)
- On 18 March 2015, the Board of Directors of
African Petroleum, in accordance with the mandate
granted by the shareholders in the general meeting
held on 16 March 2015, issued 271,732,000 new
shares (the "New Shares") and 135,866,000 options
which were allocated in the Private Placement and,
subsequent to quarter end, on 16 April 2015
announced an additional 11,604,331 new shares and
5,802,150 options which have been allocated to
investors who participated in the repair offering
OPERATIONS
- During Q1 2015, independently assessed upgrades
were published on the Company's prospective
resources in its licences in Côte d'Ivoire,
Liberia, The Gambia and Senegal, and subsequent to
quarter end, an upgrade to Sierra Leone's
prospective resources was announced. The Company's
prospective oil resources have more than doubled in
the past 12 months, with the net unrisked mean
prospective oil resources now in excess of 12.5
billion barrels
- On 20 March 2015, African Petroleum announced
that further to the Company's announcement on 29
January 2015 regarding the extension of non-binding
term sheet with a private London based independent
oil and gas company to farm-in to the Company's
100% owned Liberian LB-08 licence that it had
agreed to a request from the third party for an
additional extension of the proposed completion date
Stuart Lake, CEO commented:
"The first quarter of the new financial year has
seen us raise over US$13 million through a private
placement and a subsequent repair offering. This is
no mean feat as we continue to witness further
volatility and uncertainty in world oil markets.
What has been most pleasing however is the
confidence placed in us by our existing and new
investors and I believe this is testament to our
asset potential and the team we have here at
African Petroleum.
During the quarter we have also seen material
increases to our independently assessed net
unrisked prospective oil resources across our
portfolio in Senegal, The Gambia, Liberia, Côte
d'Ivoire and most recently Sierra Leone. These
upgrades have come as a result of our ongoing
technical work and drilling preparations to date
and as evidenced by these updated assessments,
there is a huge opportunity to unlock material
value in the event of exploration success.
Our acreage offshore West Africa continues to
attract attention from potential farm-in partners
and as such we remain confident that we will close
a transaction during the course of the first half
2015. It is exciting to note that the Company's
immediate drill obligations for the coming two
years lie adjacent or close to the large oil
discoveries made by Cairn Energy and partners in
Senegal and Total and partners in Côte d'Ivoire.
The net proceeds from our latest fundraise
strengthens our position as we seek to conclude
these advanced discussions and create significant
value for our shareholders."
Company Background
African Petroleum, listed on the Oslo Axess (APCL)
and the National Stock Exchange of Australia (AOQ),
is an independent oil and gas exploration company
led by an experienced Board and management team,
with substantial experience in oil and gas
exploration, appraisal, development and
production. The Company is a significant net
acreage holder in West Africa with estimated net
unrisked mean prospective oil resources in excess
of 12.5 billion barrels.
African Petroleum operates 10 licences in five
countries offshore West Africa (Côte d'Ivoire,
Liberia, Senegal, The Gambia and Sierra Leone). The
Company's assets are located in proven hydrocarbon
basins, where several discoveries have been made in
recent years, including significant discoveries
during 2014 by Total in Côte d'Ivoire and Cairn
Energy in Senegal.
The Company continues to achieve key operational
milestones across its 10 licences, having rapidly
matured its exploration portfolio by acquiring more
than 18,500km2 of 3D seismic data and drilling
three exploration wells, one of which was an oil
discovery at Narina-1 in Liberia. African Petroleum
is the largest net acreage holder in the West
African Transform Margin, alongside industry majors
such as Anadarko Petroleum, Chevron Corporation,
ExxonMobil, Total, and Lukoil. The Company has net
unrisked mean prospective oil resources in excess
of 12.5 billion barrels (ERC Equipoise Competent
Persons Report April 2014 in conjunction with ERCE
Audit January 2015 and ERCE Letters March 2015).
OPERATIONS
Senegal Project: Rufisque Offshore Profond and
Senegal Offshore Sud Profond
Licence Overview
In Senegal, African Petroleum Senegal Limited holds
a 90% operated working interest in exploration
blocks Rufisque Offshore Profond ("ROP") and
Senegal Offshore Sud Profond ("SOSP") (together
the "Senegal Licences"). The National Oil Company
Petrosen, holds the remaining 10% equity. The
Company's Senegal Licences are located offshore
southern and central Senegal, with a net acreage of
14,216km2.
Licence Activity
As part of the initial licence entry, the Company
purchased 10,000km of 2D seismic data over its
Senegal Licences and compiled an extensive regional
database. In addition, in May 2012, the Company
completed a 3,600km2 3D seismic acquisition over
the SOSP licence block and interpretation is
ongoing. In the ROP block an existing seismic
dataset (2007 vintage) covering 1,800km2 was
purchased from Petrosen. This base dataset was
reprocessed with the final product delivered in Q4
2014 and interpretation is underway. 2D seismic
data was also reprocessed to enable better regional
well ties and geological understanding. Several
large Cretaceous turbidite fan 'leads' have already
been identified, these have been matured to
prospects as the reprocessed data has been
evaluated and included in the updated ERCE letter
released in March 2015.
On 13 March 2015, African Petroleum announced that
independent petroleum consultant ERC Equipoise had
prepared an updated assessment of prospective oil
resources attributable to the Company's Senegal
Licences. The assessment, estimates the net
unrisked mean prospective oil resources at
1,779MMStb.
Recent Updates
Interest in the margin continues to grow as
evidenced by Kosmos Energy's return to the region.
In September 2014, Kosmos Energy signed a farm-in
agreement to acquire a 60% interest in two licences
offshore Senegal in return for fully paying for the
acquisition of approximately 7,000km2 of 3D
seismic. Should Kosmos Energy enter into the next
phase of exploration, Kosmos Energy will be
committed to drill two wells up to a total value of
$240 million, and then drill a third well up to the
value of another $120 million.
Kosmos (60% Operator) with Chevron (30%) are
drilling the Tortue West prospect that straddles
the Mauritania/Senegal border at Tortue-1, though
the well is still being drilled, on 27 April 2015,
Kosmos announced that it has intersected 107 metres
(351 feet) of net hydrocarbons in the Cenomanian
(four zones) and far exceeds its pre-drill
expectations (2.1 billion barrels oil equivalent,
gross).
On 7 October 2014, Cairn Energy announced an
important oil discovery offshore Senegal. The FAN-1
exploration well recovered light oil from a series
of stacked Cretaceous sandstones, with APIs ranging
from 28 up to 41. The column was reported to be
500m, though the net pay of 29 metres was at
several discrete intervals. Cairn Energy believes
that the discovery "may have significant potential
as a standalone discovery".
Cairn Energy drilled a second well, SNE-1, offshore
Senegal in 1,100m of water and announced, on 10
November 2014, that they had made an additional
discovery. Initial analysis of the well, as
reported by Cairn Energy, showed 95m gross oil
bearing column with a gas cap and excellent
reservoir sands with net pay of 36 metres 32 API
oil and a P50 contingent resource of 330 MMbbls.
FAR Ltd, one of Cairn Energy's partners, issued
notice of discovery on both wells and
reported; "based on preliminary estimates, it
[SNE-1] is highly likely to be a commercial
discovery", a significant statement for both
African Petroleum and the country. IHS reported
SNE-1 as the largest published oil discovery in the
world during 2014. The SNE-1 discovery is less than
10km from African Petroleum's Gambian acreage where
similar prospects have been identified.
On 18 December 2014, the Company announced that its
subsidiary African Petroleum Senegal Limited
received confirmation from the President in the
form of a Presidential decree of entry into the
First Renewal Period on licence SOSP. Prior to
entering into the First Renewal Period, Petrosen
agreed to defer the existing well commitment of the
First Renewal Period of SOSP by 18 months to allow
for further technical work by the Company prior to
drilling. The forward programme provides an
opportunity to analyse the data fully, prior to
making a commitment to drill the exploration well
in the second sub period of the First Renewal
Period.
In January 2015, Cairn Energy announced its
intention to spud a series of exploration and
appraisal wells offshore Senegal during the year.
African Petroleum will monitor the results of this
programme closely. Each of these developments,
especially their proximity to the Company's
acreage, provides a very positive context to
African Petroleum's presence offshore Senegal (and
The Gambia - refer next section). The multi
billion barrel oil equivalent discovery announced
by Kosmos on 27 April 2015 further confirms the
presence of multiple mature source rocks along the
margin, the main pre drill risk has been
significantly mitigated. All three discoveries,
two by Cairn Energy and partner group in Senegal
and the Kosmos discovery on the Mauritanian/Senegal
border fit to the charge model in African
Petroleum. The farm-out process is ongoing with
heightened interest in this exciting part of
African Petroleum's portfolio.
The Gambia Project: Blocks A1 & A4
Licence Overview
African Petroleum holds a 100% operated working
interest in offshore licences A1 and A4. The
Company has completed a significant 3D seismic
survey with data covering 2,500km2 and has found a
number of analogue leads and prospects in its
acreage to that of the recent SNE-1 and FAN-1
discoveries made by Cairn Energy in Senegal.
On 13 March 2015, African Petroleum announced that
independent petroleum consultant ERC Equipoise
prepared an updated assessment of prospective oil
resources attributable to the Company's Gambian
Licences. The assessment, estimates the net
unrisked mean prospective oil resources at
3,079MMStb.
Licence Activity
On 27 November 2014, African Petroleum entered into
an agreement with The Government of the Republic of
The Gambia to reinstate the Company's Licence Block
A1 and Licence Block A4 (together the "Gambian
Licences") on a 100% interest basis, and settle all
prior issues concerning the Gambian Licences. The
reinstatement of the Gambian Licences is a
significant and positive step for the Company,
particularly following the recent oil discoveries
made by Cairn Energy in Senegal.
Upon reinstatement, African Petroleum agreed to a
revised initial exploration period that will expire
on 1 September 2016 in return for a commitment to
drill an exploration well on one of the Gambian
Licences and reprocess 3D seismic on Licence Block
A4 prior to 1 September 2016. Depth commitments
have also been modified for basinal and shelfal
wells.
Recent Updates
The Company has identified leads and prospects in
the Gambian Licences, many of which are on trend
with the discoveries made at FAN-1 (announced 7
October 2014) and SNE-1 (announced 10 November
2014) by the Cairn Energy operated group in Senegal.
African Petroleum is looking to farm-out both
Gambian Licences and has had significant interest
from international and large independent oil
companies. We expect this interest to culminate in
a farm-in in due course.
Liberian Project: Blocks LB-08 and LB-09
Licence Overview
African Petroleum, through European Hydrocarbons
Limited, is both operator and holder of a 100%
working interest in production sharing contracts LB-
08 and LB-09, which have a combined net acreage of
5,350km2. The Company has completed an extensive
work programme on its Liberian licences with
5,100km2 of 3D seismic acquired, three wells
successfully drilled, including the discovery at
Narina-1, and identified key prospects with net
unrisked mean prospective oil resources of
4,192MMStb (ERCE Audit January 2015 in conjunction
with ERCE Competent Persons Report).
Licence Activities
African Petroleum has completed the acquisition and
processing of 5,100km2 of 3D seismic data over both
licences. The interpretation of this data
identified numerous prospects and leads in the
Upper Cretaceous post rift section and also a
number of Cretaceous aged syn-rift opportunities.
African Petroleum has successfully executed an
initial exploration programme in LB-09, with three
wells drilled: Apalis-1, Narina-1 and Bee Eater-1.
In September 2011, African Petroleum completed
drilling its first exploration well, Apalis-1, on
LB-09. The well encountered oil shows in several
geological units including the shallow unlogged
(Tertiary-Paleocene) and proved source rock in the
Cenomanian. The Narina-1 well was drilled on LB-09
in January 2012 and encountered a total of 31
metres of net oil pay in the primary Turonian
objective and underlying Albian reservoirs with no
oil water contact observed. African Petroleum's
discovery at Narina-1 was the first to prove a
working petroleum system in the central Liberian
basin, an extremely positive result for the Company
and one that improves the chances of success
elsewhere in the area.
The Company drilled its third well, Bee Eater-1, on
LB-09 in January 2013. The well tested an up-dip
axial section of the Turonian slope fan in which
the Company's Narina-1 discovery had been made in
2012. The Bee Eater-1 well encountered a tight
reservoir interval, but provided the impetus to
integrate the information into a predictive model
for improved reservoir in slope fans further down-
dip. These new findings have been incorporated into
a revised interpretation of the subsurface across
the portfolio, with new basin floor fan prospects
identified in both blocks.
In September 2013, the Company completed
reprocessing of all the 3D seismic data from its
Liberian licences to improve image quality and
support the maturation of additional prospects and
appraisal opportunities. The reprocessing
highlighted that certain areas may benefit from
improved seismic imaging and further targeted 3D
reprocessing and acquisition of new high-resolution
3D seismic are currently being considered for LB-08
and LB-09. Lessons learned from previous seismic
reprocessing will be incorporated into any new data
and any new acquisition will utilise state of the
art broadband technology. If the new data is
acquired with a different azimuth, there is a
possibility to combine datasets.
In LB-08 specifically, overburden issues are not
quite so severely degrading the current seismic
image and significant improvement from new data is
expected. Recent work on Turaco and Hornbill
(included in January 2015 ERCE letter) in deepwater
LB-08 has helped prioritise these prospects.
Recent Updates
On 23 December 2014, African Petroleum signed a non-
binding term sheet agreeing terms with a private
London based independent oil and gas company to
farm-in to the Company's 100% owned Liberian LB-08
licence for a 50% equity and non-operated interest.
Completion of the farm-in transaction, as
contemplated by the Term Sheet, is subject to
contract and a number of conditions precedent. As
announced by the Company on 20 March 2015, an
extension of approximately three months to 30 June
2015 has been agreed to allow for conditions
affecting the third party that are outside their
control at the present time.
The signing of the Term Sheet is a significant
milestone for African Petroleum. Should the farm-in
transaction complete, the incoming party will bring
a breadth of knowledge and experience to the
partnership and will allow the Company to continue
its exploration programme in its highly prospective
acreage offshore Liberia.
In January 2015, African Petroleum announced that
independent petroleum consultant ERC Equipoise
prepared an updated assessment of prospective oil
resources attributable to the Company's Liberian
Licences. This updated assessment, in conjunction
with the ERCE Competent Persons Report April 2014,
estimates the net unrisked mean prospective oil
resources at 4,192MMStb.
Sierra Leone Project: Blocks SL-03 & SL-4A-10
Licence Overview
In Sierra Leone, the Company holds a 100% operated
working interest in offshore licences SL-03 and SL-
4A-10. African Petroleum was awarded a 100%
interest in SL-03 in April 2010, while licence SL-
4A-10 was awarded as part of Sierra Leone's third
offshore licencing round in 2012. The Company's
Sierra Leone licences cover a combined net acreage
of 5,855km2 and are located to the south of
Freetown, offshore Sierra Leone.
Licence Activities
Since gaining operatorship of the Sierra Leone
licences, African Petroleum has acquired
approximately 2,500km2 of 3D seismic data over
block SL-03 and approximately 1,000km2 of 3D
seismic data over block SL-4A-10. In addition, the
Company has purchased regional 2D seismic data in
western Sierra Leone. The Company has already
identified a number of key prospects in its Sierra
Leone licences, one of which has net unrisked mean
prospective oil resources of 1,354MMStb (ERC
Equipoise Letter, 2015).
Recent Updates
In September 2014, the Company commenced and
completed the acquisition of approximately 1,000km2
of 3D seismic data on Block SL-4A-10, offshore
Sierra Leone. An initial version of the data was
made available for interpretation in late December
African Petroleum is awaiting angle stacks to
enable further de-risking of the prospect inventory
(April 2015). The seismic acquisition fulfills the
remaining obligations in Sierra Leone ahead of the
next exploration phase in both blocks.
Côte d'Ivoire Project: Blocks CI-509 & CI-513
Licence Overview
In Côte d'Ivoire, African Petroleum holds a 90%
working interest in offshore licences CI-509 and CI-
513 (the "CI Licences"), the remaining 10% is held
by Petroci, the National Oil Company of Côte
d'Ivoire. The Company was awarded CI-513 in
December 2011 and CI-509 in March 2012, with a
combined net acreage of 2,283km2.
Licence Activities
In October 2012, the Company acquired 4,200km2 of
3D seismic data over the CI Licences, fulfilling
the seismic work commitments of the first
exploration phase for both licences. Fast-track 3D
seismic data was received in November 2012, while
final 3D seismic depth processing of the entire
survey was completed in March 2014. Interpretation
of the data has identified a number of significant
prospects, with net unrisked mean prospective oil
resources of 2,130MMStb (ERC Audit, January 2015).
On 22 April 2014 African Petroleum announced PSC
amendments to both licences CI-509 and CI-513. The
PSC amendments include an adjustment of the licence
periods providing for one-year extensions to the
first exploration periods of both licences at the
expense of the duration of future exploration
periods. The PSC adjustment allows the Company more
time for drilling of the first period commitment
wells in these blocks. The first exploration period
for block CI-509 is extended to March 2016 and
block CI-513 has been extended to December 2015.
The Company intends to use some of this additional
time to integrate seismic depth processing into the
optimisation of exploration well locations as
several new amplitude supported prospects have
arisen from processed PSDM 3D seismic.
Total's Saphir-1XB oil discovery in CI-514 in April
2014, has effectively de-risked the Company's
adjacent acreage. African Petroleum traded the 3D
seismic covering both Total's CI-514 operated
acreage and the CI-508 acreage immediately north of
CI-513 and CI-509 held by the Vitol operated group.
In January 2015, following an independent
assessment of the Côte d'Ivoire prospects by ERC
Equipoise, the Company announced an additional
570MMStb to be added to the net unrisked
prospective oil resources.
The Company intends to use the additional time from
the licence extensions to secure the appropriate
sixth generation rig (at the latest competitive
rates) for a wider drilling programme with new
partners from the ongoing farm-out process. In
preparation for the 2015 drilling campaign, the
Company signed an agreement with DrilQuip Limited
to provide two SS-15 wellheads. The purchase of
these wellheads is a positive step for the Company
and a move towards initiating the drilling campaign.
Recent Updates
As announced on 14 July 2014, the Company entered
into an agreement with Buried Hill Africa Limited
("Buried Hill") to farm-out a 10% interest in Block
CI-509, in return for Buried Hill funding 21.1% of
the cost of the next exploration well to be drilled
on the block and an additional cash payment to
African Petroleum representing 10% of past costs
incurred ("Farm-Out Agreement"). Under the terms of
the Farm-Out Agreement, African Petroleum will
continue as Operator on the licence. Completion of
the Farm-Out Agreement is subject to the
satisfaction or waiving of certain conditions
precedent. The Company continues to seek additional
partners in its Côte d'Ivoire acreage and
anticipates making a further announcement in H1
In January 2015, African Petroleum announced that
independent petroleum consultant ERC Equipoise
prepared an updated assessment of prospective oil
resources attributable to the Company's Côte
d'Ivoire Licences. This updated assessment, in
conjunction with the ERCE Competent Persons Report
(April 2014), estimates the net unrisked
prospective oil resources at 2,130MMStb and net
risked prospective oil resources at 456MMStb, a
118% increase in net risked prospective resources
from the April 2014 Competent Persons Report.
Operational Update
Upgraded Prospective Resources
(i) Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia
On 26 January 2015, the Company announced an update
to its prospective oil resources at its 90% owned
and operated CI-509 and CI-513 offshore licence
blocks in Côte d'Ivoire ("Côte d'Ivoire Licences")
and its 100% owned and operated LB-08 and LB-09
offshore blocks in Liberia ("Liberia Licences").
The Company engaged the independent petroleum
consultant, ERC Equipoise Ltd ("ERCE"), to prepare
an updated assessment of prospective oil resources
attributable to the Company's Côte d'Ivoire and
Liberia Licences (the "ERCE Audit").
The ERCE Audit of prospective resources includes
the addition of eight new prospects and has taken
into account information gathered from third party
drilling campaigns in the margin during 2014,
particularly the oil discovery made by Total in CI-
514 in April 2014.
The ERCE Audit, in conjunction with the ERCE
Competent Persons Report April 2014 ("April 2014
CPR"), estimates the net prospective oil resources
relating to the Côte d'Ivoire Licences and Liberia
Licences are as follows:
Mean (MMstb) % Increase
Net Risked
Net Net Prospective
Unrisked Risked Oil
Prospective Prospective Resources
Oil Oil from April
Licence Resources Resources 2014 CPR
Côte
d'Ivoire
CI-513 &
CI-509 2,130 456 118%
Liberia
*LB-08 &
LB-09 4,192 662 33%
Total
Updated
Portfolio
Côte
d'Ivoire
& Liberia 6,322 1,118 58%
*Liberia values include four (4) new prospects
reviewed in the ERCE Audit as well as unchanged
prospects from April 2014 CPR
The impact of de-risking through regional third
party drilling activity in Côte d'Ivoire and the
addition of new Turonian and Cenomanian prospects
as outlined in the ERCE Audit translates into the
addition of 410 MMstb in the net risked mean
prospective oil resources from the April 2014 CPR
(increase of 58%).
(ii) Senegal and the Gambia
On 16 March 2015, African Petroleum announced an
update to its prospective oil resources at its 90%
owned and operated Senegal Offshore Sud Profond and
Rufisque Offshore Profond licence blocks in Senegal
("Senegal Licences") and its 100% owned and
operated A1 and A4 offshore blocks in The Gambia
("Gambian Licences").
The Company engaged the independent petroleum
consultant, ERC Equipoise Ltd ("ERCE"), to prepare
an updated assessment of prospective oil resources
attributable to the Company's Gambian Licences, and
an initial assessment of the Senegal Licences
(the "ERCE Letter").
The ERCE Letter of prospective resources includes
20 prospects and estimates the net prospective oil
resources relating to the Senegal Licences and
Gambian Licences as follows:
Mean (MMstb)
Net Net
Unrisked Risked
Prospective Prospective
Oil Oil
Licence Resources Resources
Senegal
SOSP & ROP# 1,779 325
The Gambia
A1 & A4 3,079 445
Total Updated
Portfolio
Senegal and The Gambia 4,858 770
stated net to APSL, in which APCL has a 90%
shareholding
The two discoveries made by Cairn Energy at SNE-1
and FAN-1 in Senegal have had a positive impact on
the chance of success for prospects within African
Petroleum's portfolio.
(iii) Sierra Leone
Subsequent to quarter end, on 1 April 2015, African
Petroleum announced an update to its prospective
oil resources at its 100% owned and operated
Licence Blocks SL-03 and SL-4A-10 in Sierra Leone
("Sierra Leone Licences").
The Company engaged the independent petroleum
consultant, ERC Equipoise Ltd ("ERCE"), to prepare
an updated assessment of prospective oil resources
attributable to the Company's Sierra Leone Licences
(the "ERCE Letter"). The ERCE Letter of prospective
resources includes four prospects and estimates the
net prospective oil resources relating to the
Sierra Leone Licences as follows:
Mean (MMstb)
Net Net
Unrisked Risked
Prospective Prospective
Oil Oil
Licence Resources Resources
Sierra Leone
SL-03 & SL-4A-10 1,354 223
Liberian Licence LB-08 Term Sheet
On 20 March 2015, African Petroleum announced that
further to the Company's announcement on 29 January
2015 regarding the extension of non-binding term
sheet with a private London based independent oil
and gas company to farm-in to the Company's 100%
owned Liberian LB-08 licence ("Term Sheet"), that
it had agreed to a request from the third party for
an additional extension of the proposed completion
date. An extension of approximately three months
to 30 June 2015 has been agreed to allow for
conditions affecting the third party that are
outside their control at the present time.
As previously disclosed, pursuant to the Term Sheet
the third party has agreed, subject inter alia to
completion of due diligence and entering into of
mutually agreed contracts, to acquire a 50% net
participating interest in the LB-08 licence in
return for the payment of 50% of all future costs
and expenditures relating to the LB-08 licence and
a contribution to past costs and expenditures.
The LB-08 licence is situated in a highly
prospective region offshore Liberia. In an
independent review of African Petroleum's acreage
conducted by ERC Equipoise Ltd in April 2014 and
updated January 2015, the net unrisked mean
prospective oil resources of LB-08 exceeds 2.6
billion barrels. With an oil discovery in the
adjacent licence and proof of a working hydrocarbon
system in central Liberian basin, the Company
believes that LB-08 has substantial potential.
Completion of the farm-in transaction as
contemplated by the Term Sheet is subject to
contract and a number of conditions precedent,
which, apart from one pertaining to approval from
the Liberian Government, is now scheduled to be
completed by midday 30 June 2015.
Farm-Out Update
As previously announced, African Petroleum is
seeking strategic partners on its ten licences in
Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Senegal, The Gambia and
Sierra Leone in order to share risk and potential
reward of the Company's exploration programme.
African Petroleum is pleased to have secured an
initial farm-in on Block CI-509 and to have signed
a term sheet for Block LB-08. The Company
continues to make progress on attracting additional
companies to farm-in to its acreage, and has
received a high level of interest in Côte d'Ivoire,
The Gambia and Senegal since the significant
discoveries made by Cairn Energy in Senegal, Kosmos
on the Mauritania/Senegal border and Total in Côte
d'Ivoire during 2014. African Petroleum remains
confident that it will complete one or more farm-
outs during H1 2015.
Corporate Update
Private Placement
On the 9 February 2015, the Company published a
stock exchange notice regarding a contemplated
Private Placement to certain existing and new
investors of new ordinary shares. On 10 February
2015, African Petroleum announced the completion of
the private placement, successfully raising NOK
95,106,200 (approximately US$12.5 million) in gross
proceeds through the allocation of 271,732,000
Offer Shares at a subscription price of NOK 0.35
per share.
The application period for the Private Placement
closed at 13.00 (CET) on 10 February 2015. The
completion of the Private Placement was conditional
upon (i) the relevant corporate resolutions
required to implement the Private Placement being
made by the Company, including the approval of the
Private Placement by shareholders of the Company in
a general meeting held on 16 March 2015; (ii) the
Company receiving full payment for the Offer Shares
on the due date for payment; (iii) any regulatory
approvals and filings required in connection with
the issuance of the Offer Shares, including but not
limited to an approval from the Australian Foreign
Investment Review Board if applicable and (iv) the
approval by the Financial Supervisory Authority of
Norway of a prospectus prepared in accordance with
the Norwegian Securities Trading Act Chapter 7 for
admission to listing of the Offer Shares on Oslo
Axess.
All of these conditions were fulfilled, and on 18
March 2015 the Company announced the issue of the
271,732,000 New Shares and 135,8666,000 options
that were allocated in the Private Placement.
The Private Placement raising of US$12.5 million
was required to strengthen the Company's balance
sheet and liquidity position. The Company was
encouraged to have completed the Q1 2015
fundraising in such adverse oil market conditions
and we believe that this is a testament to the
quality of the Company's assets offshore West
Africa and the management team.
Results of General Meeting
In accordance with NSX Listing rules and section
251AA of the Corporations Act, on 16 March 2015
African Petroleum announced that all resolutions
put at the General Meeting of the Company held on
16 March 2015 were passed on a show of hands.
Repair Offering
On 10 February 2015, African Petroleum announced
its intention to launch a subsequent repair
offering. The application period under the
subsequent repair offering commenced on 17 March
2015 and closed on 1 April 2015 raising a total of
NOK 4,061,516 (approximately US$505,000).
The intention of the repair offering was to allow
the Company's supportive retail shareholders an
opportunity to participate in a raise on the same
terms as the Private Placement.
Subsequent to quarter end, on 16 April 2015 the
Company announced the issue of and additional
11,604,331 new shares and 5,802,150 options that
were allocated to investors who participated in the
repair offering.
Health, Safety, Environment and Security
As an operator of offshore concessions, it is the
duty of African Petroleum to provide a safe working
environment and minimise any adverse impact on the
environment. Health, safety, environment and
security policies are embedded throughout all of
the Company's core operations. In this regard, we
strive for continuous improvement as lessons
learned from past operations are incorporated into
business practices going forward.
Due to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, African
Petroleum has implemented precautionary measures to
ensure the safety of its staff. There have been
office closures in Liberia and Sierra Leone, and
local staff have been urged to work from home and
avoid dangerous regions. Currently, the Company
does not have any active operations in Sierra Leone
or Liberia.
African Petroleum is following the Liberian and
Sierra Leone government protocol and has consulted
with host government officials to see how strategic
social investments can be leveraged to combat Ebola.
Outlook
The priority for the next two years is to progress
and unlock the high potential in our West African
assets; through leveraging technology to de-risk
ahead of the drill bit and, subject to finalising
finance, through drilling key exploration wells
with strategic partners. By obtaining partners to
farm-in to our acreage, where we hold high working
interest positions between 90-100%, we will
mitigate our risk and financial exposure whilst
also enabling us to crystallise value for our
shareholders.
Despite the fall in oil price impacting sentiment
with regards to global exploration; we believe that
the industry will continue to explore the best
regions in the world and in that regard we are
confident that exploration of the West Africa
Transform Margin and the wider margin up through
The Gambia and Senegal will remain very active
going forwards evidenced by the recent entry of
Kosmos in Senegal and ExxonMobil in Côte d'Ivoire
amongst others. Furthermore, there has been a
sizeable reduction in operating costs which
presents a significant cost-saving opportunity for
exploration focused operators such as African
Petroleum. We remain in advanced discussions with
potential industry partners across our portfolio
and are hopeful that we will conclude a transaction
in the first half of this year.
African Petroleum has an opportunity to become a
leading independent exploration company through its
highly prospective acreage offshore West Africa.
Plans for our 2015 exploration campaign have begun,
with multiple prospects identified and wellheads
ordered (which will shortly be delivered), we are
in a strong position and are confident that 2015
and 2016 will be transformational years for us.
Our long-term strategy is simple: to find
commercial oil, and expand our footprint both as a
low cost operator and non-operator, leveraging our
highly skilled and experience team, utilising the
latest technology and taking advantage of the low
cost environment.
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