UNITED Oil & Gas has completed the first stage of its offshore Surface Geochemical Exploration Programme on the Walton-Morant Licence in Jamaica, marking a key technical milestone in efforts to de-risk what the company describes as a high-impact exploration asset.

In a market update on Monday, United said Stage 1 — comprising a multi-beam, echosounder seabed survey — successfully acquired high-quality bathymetry data, or detailed seabed mapping, across approximately 1,189 kilometres of priority offshore areas.

The data will now be used to determine optimal locations for Stage 2 seabed heat-flow measurements and Stage 3 targeted piston core sampling, which involves extracting sediment samples from the seabed for laboratory analysis.

Chief executive Brian Larkin said completion of the first phase provides “a robust foundation” for the next stages of offshore work.

“The quality of the bathymetry data acquired enables informed selection of heat-flow and piston core locations,” Larkin said. “As we move into Stage 2 and Stage 3, this work is designed to further de-risk the licence.”

The survey vessel, R/V Gyre, has already returned to Kingston for equipment reconfiguration and has since departed to resume offshore operations.

The Surface Geochemical Exploration Programme is intended to provide independent, basin-scale evidence of active hydrocarbon systems within the Walton-Morant block.

United has previously cited an estimated resource potential of more than seven billion barrels within the licence area. The SGE campaign is a critical technical step in validating that potential and advancing commercial discussions.

An independent assessment referenced by the company has suggested that successful completion of the programme could improve the project’s geological chance of success from roughly one in five to one in three — a material reduction in exploration risk, though not a change to headline resource estimates.

The company has said the data will feed directly into its ongoing technical evaluation and farm-out discussions. The offshore campaign has received public support from Daryl Vaz, Minister of science, energy and transport, who visited the survey vessel prior to departure earlier this month.

United has described regulatory coordination and local stakeholder engagement as smooth, noting that mobilisation required months of permitting and logistical preparation. Stage 2 will focus on seabed heat-flow measurements, followed by Stage 3 targeted piston core sampling. United said a further update will be provided upon completion of offshore operations.

— Dashan Hendricks