EXXONMOBIL has decided to abandon its deepwater Xikomba field on block 15 offshore Angola, as it is no longer economically viable following seven years of production.
The company said the Xikomba floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) would be transferred to another multi-year assignment on block 15/06, operated by Eni of Italy.
The transfer has been on the cards for some time. In April this year, SBM Offshore secured a 12-year agreement with Eni, covering deployment of the converted former tanker on 15/06, where there has been a successful exploration campaign resulting in a cluster-style project.
ExxonMobil located Xikomba in 1999, and its development took place in two phases. Oil from Xikomba A was achieved in 2004, with a production plateau at around 80,000 barrels per day, and Xikomba B came onstream around two years later.