French oil major Total has acquired interests in three new ultra-deep offshore licenses in Côte d’Ivoire, after it signed production sharing agreements with the country's government and Petroci (Côte d’Ivoire's national oil company).

Total will operate the CI-514 license with a 54-percent interest, in partnership with Canadian Natural Ressources International (36 percent) and Petroci (10 percent). Total will also hold a 45-percent interest in the CI-515 and CI-516 licenses, alongside Anadarko (45 percent) and Petroci (10 percent).

"Total is very pleased with this new exploration opportunity in Côte d’Ivoire’s ultra-deep offshore, a field in which our expertise is globally recognized," said Marc Blaizot, Total’s Senior Vice President, Exploration. "The so-called Abrupt Margin theme that we will be exploring in this acreage is a core growth driver for the future. In particular, we are targeting the same theme in exploration licenses in French Guiana, where a promising discovery has already been made, and in Mauritania."

Tags: Total