[2020-03-23] Port of Pemba, northern Mozambique, will be the base for oil exploration Area 5B

Source: Macauhub

The port city of Pemba, the capital of Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique, from 2021 will be the logistics base of the project to prospect for hydrocarbons in Area 5B, in the district of Angoche, Nampula province, conducted by ExxonMobil and partners, according to Impacto – Projectos e Estudos Ambientais.

The company hired by ExxonMobil and partners to draft the report of the Environmental Impact Study for the drilling of Exploration Wells in the Angoche area (A5B) stated that “the logistical base and the shipyards on land will be located at the port of Pemba, where materials and equipment for operations at sea will be stored.”

The Port of Pemba, owned and operated by port and railway company CFM, has a 183-metre long and 17-metre wide jetty, totaling an area of 3,103 square metres.

Daily newspaper Notícias reported that to tailor it to customer requirements, the facility has to undergo refurbishment, an investment of US$5 million, and has been reinforced with new equipment for handling large quantities of any kind of cargo.

Surveying and drilling of wells is planned for the second quarter of 2021, a period considered less prone to the occurrence of tropical cyclones off the coast of Mozambique.

The drilling will determine if the reserves identified in Area 5B contain hydrocarbons in commercial quantities.

The public disclosure of the report follows the provisions of the Environmental Law (Law 20/1997), given that the project requires an environmental license.