Murphy Oil has been hit with dry hole expense charges after being forced to plug and abandon a number of wells.
The company said it would pay a $47million charge on the Urca well in Mississippi Canyon Block 697 and $23million for two wells in its Perth Basin drilling programme offshore Western Australia.
Murphy Oil is continuing with the drilling of a third well at the Munia prospect in the Perth Basin which is expected to be finished in April.
Depending on the outcome the cost attributed to this well in the first quarter of 2015 is expected to be around $9million.
A spokesman for the company said: “In the Gulf of Mexico, the Urca well in Mississippi Canyon Block 697 failed to encounter hydrocarbons and has been plugged and abandoned.
“We will take a US dry hole expense of approximately $47 million in the first quarter of 2015 for Urca.
“Additionally, we have finished two of the three wells in our Perth Basin drilling program offshore Western Australia.
“The two wells, Koel and Cisticola, both located in Block WA-481-P, were unsuccessful and have been plugged and abandoned.
“We will take a dry hole expense of approximately $23 million in the first quarter of 2015 for these two wells.
“We are currently drilling the third well at the Munia prospect in the Perth Basin. This well will be finished in April.
“Depending on the outcome, the cost attributed to this well in the first quarter of 2015 is expected to be approximately $9 million.