Global field ownership database goes online

Infield Systems announced the completion of the field participants’ database project. This information gives analysts immediate access to the ownership interests in over 6,700 offshore oil and gas developments worldwide.
The project was led by Research Analyst Susan Townson who said, “The Infield Participants’ Database is designed to be a highly effective tool for tracking and highlighting trends, acquisitions and mergers in offshore assets.” She went on to say, “It is the conclusion of over two and a half years research by the Infield team.” This project was backed up by the extensive network and knowledge that Infield Systems has built up over the past 16 years developing the Infield Worldwide Offshore Field Developments Database.
Quentin D’A Whitfield, Director of Infield Systems commented “the spectacular growth in mergers and acquisitions activity in recent years has made knowing who holds what, who the players are and where their interests lie, of vital importance to anyone involved in the offshore oil and gas industry.”

Using this new information resource to analyse operator and participant working interests for deepwater fields off West Africa for example, reveals some interesting results. The first chart shows the breakdown of reserves by field operator and the second the breakdown of reserves by participant.
A comparison of these two charts shows TotalFinaElf to be the largest operator in West African waters. This is a region the French companies have long made a centre of their interest. However, ExxonMobil hold the largest participant reserves, because of their broad spread of interests, with two thirds slated as planned or possible developments.

This situation is also repeated with Shell. Three out the four big operators in the region are European majors. Statoil has a strong showing as operator because of its position off Nigeria and as a participant through their interests in offshore Angola. Other significant players are ChevronTexaco and a whole host of independents such as South Atlantic and state oil companies like Brazil’s Petrobras and Malaysia’s Petronas who are actively increasing their overseas interests.
Italian Agip-ENI has acquired an equally impressive division of developing, planned and possible projects. With only 5 % of the total deepwater reserves discovered to date currently on-stream this will prove to be an active hunting ground for major players looking to replenish their offshore portfolios.