Vanoil Wraps Up Seismic Program in Kenya Block

- Vanoil Wraps Up Seismic Program in Kenya Block

Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Vanoil Energy Ltd.

Vanoil has completed its 2011 2D seismic program on Block 3B in Kenya. Vanoil's 100% owned Blocks 3A and 3B in Kenya cover approximately 24,000 square kilometers and are part of the vastly under-explored prolific Cretaceous Central African Rift Basin System in Kenya.

Vanoil's 2011 seismic program in Block 3B covered approximately 398 line-km and was completed on budget and schedule. The program was designed to cover several leads previously identified on the re-processed 1975 Chevron and the 2010 Vanoil seismic data in Block 3B. The 2011 seismic data is high quality with location, time and amplitude content having been jointly assessed and controlled by the contractors; Bureau Geophysical Prospecting (BGP) and RPS. This premium data has been gathered to further image some specific structural leads and as a reconnaissance program to identify more new leads in Block 3B. In addition, the 2011 seismic program was also designed to enable Vanoil to improve on the geologic model in the Lamu Basin, one of the three basins identified on the Vanoil Blocks.

The 2011 2D seismic program in Block 3B consisted of 398 kilometers of additional seismic bringing the cumulative total to 845 kilometers of 2D seismic coverage completed by Vanoil to date on Blocks 3A and 3B in 2010/2011.

The 2011 Vanoil 2D seismic program data will now be sent to Statcom in Calgary Alberta for processing, following which, the data will be interpreted and integrated with the reprocessed and interpreted 1975 Chevron and 2010 Vanoil data. With the newly acquired data, the Company expects to add significantly to the resource assessment incorporated in the previously announced Sproule 51 101 report.

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Simba Granted PSC for Kenya Block

- Simba Granted PSC for Kenya Block

Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Simba Energy Inc.

Simba has been granted a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) by the Ministry of Energy, Republic of Kenya for Block 2A, comprising 7,801.72 square kilometers in northeast Kenya.

"We are delighted in having been awarded this PSC from the Republic of Kenya's Energy Ministry. This is a major achievement for the Company and further supports our strategy to pursue underexplored and overlooked onshore basins in Africa. While we remain very close to finalizing other PSC applications elsewhere, Block 2A's PSC provides our shareholders a very significant boost in near term upside exploration potential for the Company. It has been a lot of work to get to this point so we are extremely pleased," remarks Robert Dinning, President & CEO.

Block 2A overlies the southern tip of the Mandera Basin while the southwest corner of the block extends into the Anza Basin. Block 2A also has excellent potential for significant oil and gas discoveries as evidenced by the following evaluation highlights:

• The Mandera Basin is Permo-Triassic to Tertiary in age with a sediment thickness of 10,000 meters. Potential source rock interval is mid Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous and comparable with the larger Mandera-Lugh basin in Ethiopia and Somalia
• Only four wells have been drilled in the Mandera basin with oil shows encountered at 40-44m in the Tarbaj stratigraphic well drilled by Total
• In the Anza basin lower Cretaceous reef structures have been mapped with a potential reservoir thickness of 300m-500m. Source rock is likely Lower Cretaceous. The eleven wells drilled in the Anza Basin have encountered oil shows and/or gas shows
• Present 2D seismic coverage, although regional in nature, identified numerous structures and a major stratigraphic pinch-out. The limited seismic coverage available indicates a stable stratigraphic sequence with some very good exploration leads
• Remaining of exploration interest to the Company is the flank of the basement high structure where two AMOCO wells drilled in 1987 (ELGAL#1 to 1,280 meters in Permian Karroo and ELGAL#2 to 1,908 meters in Triassic Karroo) were plugged and abandoned as no reservoir rocks were encountered
• The area of the block overlying the Mandera basin is of particular interest as the analysis of the oil from the seeps at Tarbaj although severely biodegraded indicate a source rock maturity for the Mandera basin which is well within the oil window

The Company will immediately begin re-interpretation of all available existing data, as well as initiate baseline environmental work, to support the design and planning of a new seismic acquisition program.

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Dominion Petroleum Picks Up Block Offshore Kenya

- Dominion Petroleum Picks Up Block Offshore Kenya

Monday, August 01, 2011
Dominion Petroleum Ltd.

Dominion Petroleum announced the award of Block L15 of the Lamu Basin, offshore Kenya. This new award follows Dominion having secured Block L9, offshore Kenya, in March 2011.

The Company concluded negotiations with the Government of the Republic of Kenya by executing heads of agreement ("HoA") which define the terms for Block L15, with Dominion serving as operator with a 100% working interest.

The award of L15 is subject only to the signature of a Production Sharing Contract ("PSC") by Dominion and Kenya's Ministry of Energy; currently scheduled to take place in the coming weeks in Nairobi.

With Block L15 now added to its portfolio of exploration assets in offshore East Africa, Dominion holds a leading exploration portfolio in the deepwater East African margin by now operating 3 blocks in Tanzania and Kenya. The directors anticipate that the expanded, combined portfolio may gain even more industry interest going forward. The Company can now adopt a partnering strategy for the assets in terms of moving toward the drilling of this expanded portfolio.

Block L15 lies immediately to the north of Block L8, where the reportedly 1 billion barrel Mbawa prospect shall likely be drilled in mid 2012. Dominion's new Block is on the Davy-Walu structural trend, as is Block L9. The only well in Block L15 is Kofia-1, which was drilled by Union Oil in 1985 and encountered good oil shows in the Palaeogene and Upper Cretaceous intervals. Planned drilling by other operators along the Davy-Walu trend over the next 12 months may serve to de-risk the prospectivity in both L9 and L15 before firm drilling commitments are made in either PSC.

Following signature, the Initial Exploration Period of the PSC will last for two years. During this time, a gross minimum work commitment of $2.85m inclusive of the acquisition of 250 square kilometres of 3D seismic data is required.

Following the Initial Exploration Period, there is an option to relinquish the PSC or commit to another two year exploration period with the obligation to drill one well in that period.

The terms and the commitments for L15 defined in the HoA compare very favorably to other countries in the region relative to the potential resource the block represents.

Andrew Cochran, Chief Executive of Dominion Petroleum, commented, "We are delighted to add Block L15 to Dominion's East Africa deepwater exploration portfolio, one of the most sought after addresses in the exploration industry these days. The region is seeing both growing attention from, and accelerated activity by, major players with Kenya now due for deepwater drilling within the next year following the last year's successes in Tanzania and Mozambique.

"Dominion's new award represents a material expansion of an already enviable deepwater East African portfolio. We can now focus our attentions on the business of exploring these blocks, realizing their true value and embarking on substantive discussions with potential partners to establish plans for drilling."

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Vanoil Picks BGP for Kenya Seismic Shoot

- Vanoil Picks BGP for Kenya Seismic Shoot

Monday, July 11, 2011
BGP Inc.

Vanoil has executed an agreement with the Chinese seismic firm Bureau of Geophysical Prospecting (BGP) for a survey over acreage in Kenya. BGP will commence the 2011 seismic data acquisition programs on Vanoil's 100% owned Block 3B in Kenya.

Under the terms of the contract BGP will acquire around 373 line-km, 320-fold seismic data. Completion of the data acquisition phase is expected by the end of September.

This is the second seismic program Vanoil has contracted BGP for. From further evaluation and understanding of the 2010 seismic program, Vanoil has decided to move forward with a second survey. Vanoil said that the data acquired in 2010 is currently being evaluated by Sproule Internationa and results are expected within the next few weeks.

Dal S. Brynelsen, president and CEO of Vanoil, commented, "We are very pleased to have executed a second agreement with BGP and look forward to engaging such a high quality organization to implement our seismic plans for Block 3B."

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Toyota Motor Corporation Working On Truck Plant in Kenya

- Toyota Motor Corporation Working On Truck Plant in Kenya



Jul 5, 2011

Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE:TM) announced it will establish a new truck assembly plant in Kenya.

As a part of the move, Japanese auto maker giant Toyota Motor Corporation is planning to acquire a 50 per cent stake in a local truck and bus assembly firm and then expand it with an investment of $35 million.

Toyota Motor Corporation made a move where they plan to acquire $0.50 per stake in a bus assembly and local truck assembly firm and increased with an addition of $35 million.

Denis Awori, the chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation in Kenya said, "Toyota Motor Corporation proposes to build the regional vehicle and parts centre in Nairobi and invest in the expansion of Associated Vehicle Assemblers to assemble Hino trucks and buses."

Shares of Toyota Motor are trading up 0.2% at $83.62.

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Apache Takes Reins at Origin's Block Offshore Kenya

- Apache Takes Reins at Origin's Block Offshore Kenya

Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Origin Energy Ltd.

Origin has completed an agreement with a subsidiary of US independent Apache to divest a 50 percent interest in a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for petroleum exploration and production, pertaining to Block L8 located in the Lamu Basin, offshore Republic of Kenya.

Under the terms of the agreement Origin has been reimbursed historical costs of US $13.2 million and Apache has become operator. In addition, Apache will meet a component of Origin's costs of an initial exploration well to be drilled in Block L8, on the Mbawa structure. The schedule for exploration activity has yet to be determined

Commenting on this agreement, Origin's Executive General Manager, Geoscience & Exploration New Ventures, Dr. Rob Willink said, "Origin is pleased to have completed this transaction with Apache. The joint venture has agreed to go forward with exploration drilling, with Apache as operator bringing its expertise to that endeavor."

Offshore East Africa at large has become an industry focus for exploration as a result of recent deepwater discoveries offshore Tanzania and Mozambique. Block L8 comprises 5,123 square kilometres with attractive exploration opportunities that include several large objectives. Prospectivity of the block centers on the Mbawa structure, a large but complexly faulted anticline mapped on 3D seismic data with potential for both oil and gas at inferred Cretaceous and Jurassic reservoir levels.

As a result of this transaction the interest holders in PSC Block L8 will become:

• Apache 50%
• Origin Energy Kenya Pty Ltd 25%
• Pancontinental Oil & Gas NL / Afrex Ltd *^ 25%

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Dominion Petroleum to Steer Block Offshore Kenya

- Dominion Petroleum to Steer Block Offshore Kenya

Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Dominion Petroleum Ltd.

Dominion Petroleum has signed the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for Block L9 in the Lamu Basin, offshore Kenya, giving the Company a 60% working interest and operatorship. The Company previously announced the award of L9 on 21st March 2011 and the PSC was signed yesterday by Dominion Petroleum and the Kenyan Ministry of Energy in Nairobi.

Dominion Petroleum shall now begin the initial exploration period of the PSC. The Company will reprocess 2,500km of 2D seismic data, carry out block wide G&G studies and acquire 500km2 of 3D seismic data in the initial two year exploration period. This will result in a minimum gross expenditure of $6.15mm. Following this initial two year period, the Company can enter the second two-year period by committing to drill a single exploration well.

Block L9 was one of the last remaining prospective opportunities for unlicensed acreage along the whole of the deepwater East African margin. The area is attracting increasing attention from large, well established competitors, as well as stimulating interest from new entrants. Block L9 bears many geological similarities to the Company's Block 7 offshore Tanzania and Dominion intends to use its existing knowledge of the regional geology to maximize the potential of the prospects within the PSC.

Dominion will coordinate exploration activities within the expanded portfolio offshore East Africa to better leverage experience in Tanzania and to achieve better cost efficiencies.

Andrew Cochran, Chief Executive of Dominion Petroleum, commented, "The signing of L9 in Kenya is a significant milestone for Dominion as our deepwater East Africa 'footprint' has grown substantially. We find ourselves amidst some very large companies in both Tanzania and Kenya, still being able to capture L9 under competitive terms in a competitive process. The inclusion of L9 in the deepwater portfolio means that 2012 will be a very active year for the company in what is becoming one of the 'hottest' emerging plays in Africa."

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