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Horn Petroleum’s Somali wells come up dry

August 28, 2012 · 3435424 Comments2012-08-28+09%3A50%3A11Qalinle+Hussein

Range Resources its partner Red Emperor Resources (RMP) begin drilling in the Dharoor Valley basin in Somalia's Puntland region, 16 January 2012

NAIROBI — Canadian oil and gas exploration company Horn Petroleum said on Monday it had encountered only water in a well it drilled in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region earlier this year, the first to be sunk in the country since civil war erupted two decades ago.

The well, Shabeel North-1, reached a total depth of 3,945 metres and is now being plugged, Horn said.

Because there were no shows of oil and gas, Horn Petroleum determined a second well it drilled earlier in the year, Shabeel-1, also was dry and said the company would not test it further for hydrocarbon potential.

“While we were disappointed that we were not able to flow oil from the first two exploration wells in our Puntland (Somalia) drilling campaign, we remain highly encouraged that all of the critical elements exist for oil accumulations, namely a working petroleum system,” Horn’s chairman Keith Hill said in a statement.

While there has been speculation about finding oil in the anarchic Horn of Africa country for decades, it has no proven hydrocarbon reserves.

The prospect of oil beneath Dharoor’s sandy, arid plains has elicited excitement among officials of the impoverished region. The companies estimated there could be as much as 300 million barrels of recoverable oil in the northern part of Somalia.
Somalia, mired in conflict since warlords in the early 1990s and then Islamist militants reduced the government to impotence, represents one of the final frontiers in Africa to be explored.

Source: Reuters

August 28, 2012

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By Qalinle Hussein

Tags: Gas, Oil, Petroleum, Puntland, Somalia, Water

Abdiwahab says:

this is very good news since puntland tries to drill up oil from the so called nugaal block which runs deep in s/land territory and it is a curse inflicted on these pirate thugs. somaliland should not hesitate to launch a pre emptive strike on pirateland and destroy it if it continues its occupation of somaliland land and resources

3:54 am on August 28, 2012

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- PuntlandGeezer says:
  
  oooppppps Nugaal Valley block is the property of puntland & you cant do nothing.
  
  6:44 am on August 28, 2012
  
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  - Abdiwahab says:
    
    u lied dude pirateland can barely feed its people ur ragtag militia is no match for my armed forces so dont take whats not urs otherwise ur hands will be chopped pronto
    
    9:30 am on August 28, 2012
    
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    - mursal says:
      
      AL-XAWAYAAN-AL-DAMEER ABDIWAHAB.
      HE/SHE MUST BE CRAZZZY PERSON OR LOST PERSON.GO AWAY PISS OFF.
      
      NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC:AS SOON AS YOU SEE THIS PERSON SHOULD CONTACT THE NEAREST PHYCHAITRIC HOSPIYAL.
      
      12:44 am on August 29, 2012
      
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ahmed says:

Good news. Dry wells suite me well

5:25 am on August 28, 2012

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Dhuguse says:

This is a bad news to all Somalis. Any success of oil discovery in any part of Somali regions would inspire many foreign investors to come and invest in the Horn as a whole but this report clearly discourages many prospective investors.

6:41 am on August 28, 2012

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TRUE SOMALI says:

S/Land is full of Haters, praying Puntland don't succeed , I promise you we will get the oil and we will take SSC and incorporate it into Puntland, but before we do that will make sure Greater Somalia the idea you hate and despise some much, becomes stable strong and functioning, INSHALLAH

7:27 am on August 28, 2012

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- Abdiwahab says:
  
  please wake up u have been saying that 4 over 20 years lool
  
  9:28 am on August 28, 2012
  
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- kaboon says:
  
  daro0ds are dreaming. there is no oil in those ragged places
  
  12:18 pm on August 28, 2012
  
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ahmed ali says:

Definitely There is oil There.by The way when The saudis try to get oil it took Them nine wells to drill finally They strack luck 1938 in dhahran first commercial wells.

Horn Petroleum is HOLDING BACK something it could be political reasons. horn Petroleum getting Pressure from E.U,U.S not to drill or slow down The operation until further notice.because it spark little bid dispute how to share The oil.so,They advice Them to wait end of This year until central goverment stands it’s own feet.beginning of The next That oil will be bump out.

7:42 am on August 28, 2012

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- ahmed ali says:
  
  correct,beginning of The next year oil will be bump out.
  
  7:46 am on August 28, 2012
  
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SOMALIWEYN says:

This is very good news for the whole of Somalia why well let me explain why. Right now Somalia is recovering from a devastating 20 years + of tribal warfare and bringing oil in to this delicate time is literally throwing petrol on a already burning fire instead of water. Now the question is not have we got any oil because it's been proven we have from ras kamboni all the way to Puntland/Somaliland (sea/land) but when is the right time to explore it and extract it from the ground. I say we wait till we get a functioning government no matter how long chosen by the people with a strong military/police force to defend our country's integrity from the inside and outside .That way we got much more control of our natural resources because then our government would be at least held accountable by the people and not like this failed project where they had a free reign and awarded Horn Petroleum 60% stake which meant Horn Petroleum’s not only owned our oil but was also gonna benefit the most.

9:33 am on August 28, 2012

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Cudon says:

I hope puntland gets its oil. :)

3:56 pm on August 28, 2012

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- baashi says:
  
  @Cudon,They will.defenitly There is big oil reserve in dharor and by The way They are a head by mile rest of somali regions including somalilouder or s/land region in This area.
  
  Horn petroleum just waiting until This turbulent weather passes.once stablish central elected goverment Than oil will start coming out and all somalis will benefit.
  
  7:16 am on August 30, 2012
  
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  - Cudon says:
    
    Baashi I hope so brother, I'm from khaatumo state, it's good news for all somalis is going to take for awhile we should all be patients. I dislike Faroole but Puntlanders are our brothers and that's never going to change. big up for Hartis.
    
    10:59 am on August 30, 2012
    
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Faroole says:

Let me tell you this! This update does not mean that there is no oil in Daroor valley or in Puntland, Somalia in general. It takes more than drilling two wildcat wells to discover oil. Take Kenya as an example, more than 20 wells turned up dry before oil was discovered. Horn Petroleum confirmed the existence of working petroleum system in the Daroor valley – and that is the reason the joint venture is going forward to drill additional wells in Puntland, Somalia. They have collected information from Shabeel 1 and Shabeel N about the rock type, geology of the valley – which confirmed the existence of active working petroleum system. Isha Allah – oil will be discovered in Puntland, Somalia. Offshore seismic survey of Nugal will be carried out soon. Good news to come isha Allah.

For you haters: this exploration is not about Farole, if oil is discovered, all Somalis will see the benefit. Farole is elected and will go if you love him or hate him. But Puntland will stay and we will be part of a federal Somali government.

4:24 pm on August 28, 2012

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- nuur says:
  
  well said.
  
  12:46 am on August 29, 2012
  
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Allemagan says:

At least we found water here that can be effectively utilized. But to put it simply, Somali people are not known to be industrious enough to effectively utilize their any of their god given resources. Handouts from the west, anyone?

12:10 pm on August 29, 2012

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Dihirbaxo jiinn says:

Waarya Buuqland Iska eegah meshaa

3:02 pm on August 29, 2012

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osman5 says:

No oil in the Pirateland ends to sell false common shares to the international investors. I"m glad the highway robbery in the name of oil came to a halt. Let those animals in Pirateland back to their traditional diet of fish guts.

Osman Qaal

3:36 pm on August 29, 2012

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- madar says:
  
  Here we go agian another diluted person with no sense of direction talking about somali/Puntland resources. you need to grow up and speak like civilize person not like savage creature. somali civilazition started in This part of somalia while your keen chasing around wild camels in The bushes.
  
  oil is There, it’s political reasons why horn petroluem slowing down.granteed 100% Puntland will be first to pump out oil in somali peninsula.
  
  No need to worry you will get your little share,so,you can build psychiatric hospital for your community.
  
  6:58 am on August 30, 2012
  
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  - osman5 says:
    
    You're right, there're abundance of natural resources in Somalia including fossil fuel but the sad fact is Somalis don't have ingenuity to market their resources to the world. As a light illuminates at the end of the tunnel, from time to time, Somalis will handpick a group of people through fake elections to block it off..
    FYI, I'd never ever purchase shares on anything that affiliates with Somalis. I believe they're very destructive people in nature.
    
    Osman Qaal
    
    8:11 pm on August 30, 2012
    
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Galmudug says:

Dry wells! lol.
This is a good news for all somalis.No more stealing.
The oil and other natural resources are in Galmudug central Somalia and the South.

4:04 pm on August 29, 2012

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- haaji says:
  
  are you out of your mind GALMUDUG is ghetto suburb.
  
  7:54 am on August 30, 2012
  
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