In early March 2019, industry sources suggested that Total is looking to find a partner to share the exploration risk in block C-9 deep waters of the MSGBC Basin, central offshore Mauritania. The company has currently a 90% interest and state SMHPM has 10% which are carried through exploration. Total has drilling plans for C-9 this year and they depend to some extent to the success of the farm-out exercise.  Total has secured the âPacific Santa Anaâ drillship for a firm well in Senegal and has an option to use it in Mauritania. The C-9 well could be drilled around mid-2019 once the rig comes up from Senegal where it starts work for Total in April.   Block C-9 was awarded to Total in 2012, it covers 10,250 sq km and is undrilled. The company completed two 3D seismic surveys over the acreage, one in 2013 and the other in 2017. Total targets Upper Cretaceous turbidite sand channels on the continental slope / basin floor which have been prolific for Kosmos further south with the Tortue, Teranga Marsouin and Yakaar discoveries in Mauritania and Senegal. Recent drilling closer to C-9 also by Kosmos was unsuccessful with the Hippocampe and Lamantin wells in the C-8 and C-12 blocks, respectively, coming up dry.  Since it took operatorship of the C-18 block in 2017, Total increased its footprint in the M.S.G.B.C. basin in general and in Mauritania in particular. The company operates now five deep water blocks in the country: C-7, C-9, C-15, C-18 and C-31. The C-18 acquisition joins C-9 and C-7 to constitute a large continuous acreage position totaling over 30,000 sq km.
In early March 2019, industry sources suggested that Total is looking to find a partner to share the exploration risk in block C-9 deep waters of the MSGBC Basin, central offshore Mauritania. The company has currently a 90% interest and state SMHPM has 10% which are carried through exploration.