Country: DR Congo

The Ministry of Hydrocarbons of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has officially opened today a new Bidding Round for 30 blocks across the country. The blocks are spread out across five different basins: Cuvette Central, Coastal Basin, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Kivu and the Albertine Graben. The Bid Round is supported by Xcalibur Multiphysics and is expected to close in April 2023. Interested parties are requested to send Expressions of by January 31st, 2023. Only registered, pre-qualified companies will be able to bid. According to authorities, the DRC contains oil resources estimated at around 22 billion barrels of oil and 66 billion barrels of methane gas in Lake Kivu. Independent operator Perenco already produces small quantities of oil and gas there, estimated at 25,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd). This marks the third bidding round to be launched in sub-Saharan Africa over the past 12 months after Mozambique in November 2021 and Sierra Leone in May this year.

DP World and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have officially laid the first stone of the new Banana Port today. The ceremony was attended by His Excellency, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, President of the DRC, and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, as well as members of the DRC Government, public representatives and members of the local community. In December, both entities had already signed the Collaboration Agreement for the project’s development. The construction of a deep-water port at Banana has been in the making since 2018 when the initial contract was signed. “DP World will develop an initial 600-meter quay with an 18m draft, capable of handling the largest vessels in operation. It will have a container handling capacity of about 450 000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) per year, and a 30-hectare yard to store containers,” DP World said at the end of 2021.