Eni North Africa has resumed offshore exploration operations in Block 16/4 northwest of Libya, after more than five years of suspension.
Eni North Africa is a regional subsidiary of the Italian energy giant Eni, and it is responsible for managing the company’s oil and gas operations in North African countries, with a major focus on Libya.
The company is re-entering the C1-16/4 exploratory well, also known as BESS-3, using Saipem’s Scarabeo-9 rig to complete drilling to its planned final depth of 10,520 feet (3,200 meters).
Drilling on the C1-16/4 well originally began on March 11, 2020, but operations were halted shortly after due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The initial drilling reached 1,012 feet before the well was temporarily abandoned on April 14, 2020.
The C1-16/4 well is located in Contract Area D (MN-41), approximately 95 kilometers offshore from the Libyan coast. It is situated about 15 kilometers from the Bahr Es Salam gas field, one of Libya’s largest producing gas fields.
The resumption signals renewed momentum in offshore exploration in Libya as Eni strengthens its presence and unlocks new hydrocarbon potential in the Mediterranean basin.
Eni has been a key player in Libya’s energy sector since the 1950s and remains the country’s largest international oil and gas operator. The company is a major producer of natural gas in Libya, supplying both domestic needs and exports to Europe via the Greenstream pipeline.
