PETRONAS’ subsidiary PC Carigali Mexico Operations, S.A. de C.V., has been awarded shallow water Block 6 in the Gulf of Mexico’s Salina Basin.

Block 6 covers an area of about 559 square kilometres in water depths of between 30 and 80 metres and will be operated by PC Carigali Mexico in a 50:50 partnership with Ecopetrol, the national oil company of Colombia.

“I am pleased with our new partnership with Ecopetrol and I am confident this will bring together our capabilities and expertise for a successful collaboration in the Mexico waters,” said PETRONAS Executive Vice President & Chief Executive Officer, Upstream, Datuk Anuar Taib.

In 2016 PETRONAS was awarded deep water Block 4 and Block 5 in a joint venture partnership following Mexico’s first ever auction of its deep water exploration areas.

PETRONAS Vice President of Exploration, Upstream, Emeliana Rice-Oxley added, “Mexico is largely underexplored and holds substantial material opportunities. We are very pleased to add Block 6 to our growing exploration portfolio in Mexico, and be one of the early movers in this basin. This is aligned with our strategy to explore for material oil in largely underexplored prospective regions.”

With a total of 5,491 square km in gross acreage in the Salina Basin to date, PETRONAS will continue to chart its growth strategy in Mexico, to be supported by a new office in Mexico City that will commence operations in Q3, 2017.

About PETRONAS

PETRONAS (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) is Malaysia’s fully integrated oil and gas multinational ranked among the largest corporations on FORTUNE Global 500®. Established in 1974, PETRONAS now has a presence in more than 65 countries and operates among the top oil and gas companies in the world.

Steadily driving new solutions and pushing boundaries, we add value to oil and gas resources in a manner that carefully balances commercial, environmental and social considerations.