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Africa Oil Corp. AOIFF recently announced the completion of a transaction with Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas, following which the company’s stake in Block 3B/4B in the Orange Basin offshore South Africa increased from 17% to 18%.
Consideration for the AOIFF-Eco Deal
The terms of the consideration laid down that Eco would transfer 1% of its stake to Africa Oil in exchange for AOIFF giving up its equity rights in Eco.
Per the deal, Africa Oil canceled about 54.94 million common shares and about 4.86 million warrants held in Eco. The exchange valued at C$11.5 million reflects Africa Oil's commitment to enhancing its asset base in the Orange Basin.As a result of the transaction, Africa Oil's representative has stepped down from Eco’s board of directors.
An Insight Into Block 3B/4B of the Orange Basin
Block 3B/4B of the Orange Basin spans 17,581 km2 offshore South Africa with water depths ranging between 300m and 2500m. This block is deemed to have a large opportunity set of exploration prospects as it has about 14,000 km of 2D seismic and 10,800 km2 of 3D seismic projection. The block lies to the southeast and is on trend, as a number of oil discoveries, like Venus, have been made on it.
The South African Mineral Resources and Energy Department’s environmental permit for a campaign involving the exploration of up to five wells also validates the exploration prospects of the block.
Operating Interest of the Block
In August 2024, AOIFF closed a farm-down deal with TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy for block 3B/4B, where Africa Oil, along with co-venturer Ricocure (Pty.) Ltd. transferred a combined 57% to TotalEnergies (33% operating interest) and its DWOB partner QatarEnergy (24%).
Post the recently announced acquisition, the Africa Oil group now holds an 18% interest in Block 3B/4B, with other partners like TotalEnergies holding a 33% operating interest, QatarEnergy holding a 24% interest, Ricocure holding a 19.75% and Eco holding a 5.25% interest.
AOIFF’s Zacks Rank and Key Picks
Canada-based Africa Oil Corp. is an oil and gas exploration and development company. Currently, AOIFF has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Investors interested in the energy sector might look at top-ranked stocks like ARC Resources Ltd. AETUF, Gulfport Energy Corporation GPOR and YPF Sociedad Anónima YPF. ARC Resources, Gulfport Energy and YPF Sociedad Anónima currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.