UK listed independent Ophir Energy says preparations for drilling to restart on the deepwater Ayame-1 oil exploration well offshore Ivory Coast are at an advanced stage, Offshore Engineer informed.

The company said it will drill the deep-water Ayame-1 well in late-May. The well, located on Block CI-513, will target approximately 240m barrels of recoverable resources with an estimated 28% chance of commercial success, Petroleum Africa reported.

Ophir entered Block CI-513 with the signing of a PSC in March 2016. The company has a 45% operated interest in the block and is partnered with African Petroleum and Petroci on the acreage.

Meanwhile, Ophir says it is “firmly on schedule” for a final investment decision (FID) on the Fortuna LNG project, in Equatorial Guinea, Africa, in the first half of 2017.

The firm also says investment decisions will be made during 2017 regarding the options to start further wildcat activity in Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and Equatorial Guinea, in the next 6-18 months.