Ivory Coast has taken direct control of the Espoir oilfield, with state oil company Petroci Holding formally assuming operatorship of block CI-26 from Canada’s CNR International on 24 July 2026, marking a significant shift in the management of one of the country’s most established offshore producing assets.
The transfer was formalised at the General Directorate of Hydrocarbons in Abidjan, with the ceremony presided over by Alpha Yaya Ouattara representing the Director General of Hydrocarbons. Fatoumata Sanogo, CEO of Petroci Holding, and Murray Rattray, representing CNR International, signed the transfer document. The handover became effective at midnight on 24 July.
As part of the transition, Petroci has established a new subsidiary, Petroci CI-26, to manage and operate the block. Mabintou Tatiana Cissé has been appointed CEO of Petroci CI-26, taking on responsibility for day-to-day operations at a field that has been producing since 2002.
The Espoir field sits 19 kilometres offshore south of Jacqueville in Ivory Coast, in approximately 100 metres of water. Oil is produced from the Espoir East and West reservoirs and processed, stored and offloaded via the Espoir Ivoirien FPSO, which is positioned between the two wellhead towers. The vessel has an oil production capacity of 45,000 barrels per day.
The field has been operated by CNR International since production began in 2002, initially as a subsidiary of Canadian Natural Resources. The consortium had historically included CNR, Tullow Oil and Petroci Holding as partners. BW Offshore had owned and operated the FPSO under a lease and operate contract before selling the vessel to CNR International in June 2023 for $20 million. Petrofac’s Asset Solutions business has been providing integrated operations and maintenance services for the FPSO since that transition.
The move reflects a wider trend across West Africa of national oil companies taking a more active role in the operatorship of producing assets as international companies manage their portfolios and look to recycle capital toward frontier exploration. For Ivory Coast, which has seen renewed upstream interest following the success of Eni’s Baleine field discovery in 2021 and the subsequent sanctioning of Baleine Phase 3 in 2026, the assumption of direct operatorship at Espoir represents a practical demonstration of Petroci’s growing technical and operational capability.
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