Ocean Oilfield has secured a contract with Tende Energy (Barbados) Limited to mobilize its jack-up drilling rig Ocean MVM for the Abiod well program on the Maâmoura permit, located in the Gulf of Hammamet off the Tunisian coast. The campaign carries a stated production potential of up to 6,000 barrels of oil per day.
The Maâmoura permit sits in the Gulf of Hammamet, an established but relatively underexplored offshore zone along Tunisia's eastern coastline. The Abiod well program represents a focused drilling effort targeting what the parties describe as a meaningful near-term production opportunity. The contract marks a concrete step from exploration-stage planning into active well operations, with rig mobilization now underway following the agreement between Ocean Oilfield and Tende Energy.
Tende Energy (Barbados) Limited holds the permit interest driving the campaign. As operator, the company has contracted Ocean Oilfield's Ocean MVM, a jack-up unit suited to the relatively shallow shelf conditions characteristic of the Gulf of Hammamet. Jack-up rigs of this class are standard equipment for shallow-water well programs across North and West Africa, and their deployment typically signals that subsurface evaluation has advanced to the point where a commercial discovery is considered a credible near-term outcome.
Tunisia has been working to revitalise its upstream sector after years of declining output, and offshore campaigns in the Gulf of Hammamet represent part of a broader effort to arrest that trend. A successful Abiod result at the 6,000 bopd potential level would constitute a meaningful addition to the country's current production base, though the well result remains to be established. Regulatory and logistical groundwork appears sufficiently advanced for rig mobilization to proceed, suggesting that permitting and operational planning are substantially complete.
The contract is a signed agreement between Ocean Oilfield and Tende Energy, placing it beyond the preliminary MoU or heads-of-agreement stage and into active execution. The scope covers rig mobilization and the Abiod well program itself; no additional well options or contract extensions are referenced in the available information. Market observers will watch for drilling commencement timing and any subsequent announcements regarding well results, which will determine whether the 6,000 bopd potential translates into a development decision.
