Kenya Block L17/L18

The Block L17/L18 PSC area is located in the Lamu coastal basin, in southern offshore Kenya. The individual blocks L17 and L18 cover an area of approximately 1,275 and 3,630km² respectively and are situated in water depths varying from a few meters along the shoreline up to around 500 metres. The operator is Black Marlin (65%); Somken has the remaining 35% working interest. The combined total gross area is 4,844km² (1.2 million acres) and Black Marlin's net area under licence is 3,250km² (0.8 million acres).

Block L17/L18 was originally part of Block L10 awarded to Dana Petroleum and Pancontinental in 2000. Woodside Energy farmed into Block L10 in 2003 and after an extensive 2-D marine survey relinquished the shallow water part of the block, which was re-designated as Block L17/L18 and re-awarded in October 2007. There are several potential source rocks for the Cretaceous in the southern Lamu basin including the Permo-Triassic Karoo interval and sections within the Lower to Middle Jurassic, and there are oil seeps in the Lamu Basin and Pemba Island linked to a Jurassic source which implies that the structures in Block L17/L18 might be oil bearing. The main reservoir targets are in the Upper Cretaceous although there may be additional potential in clastic reservoirs within the Tertiary. The hydrocarbons are expected to have been generated in the deep Pemba trough south of Block L18 and have been assumed to be gas for the purposes of this report.

Block L17/L18 is located in the Lamu basin which occupies the coastal onshore and offshore areas of southeast Kenya. This area is frontier exploration and no exploration drilling has occurred to date within Blocks L17/L18.