Credibility growing

THE NORTHWEST African country is establishing itself as a new hydrocarbons province and is building a reputation as an emerging deep-water play. The size of the country's oil and gas resources remains a matter of conjecture, but the signs from Woodside Petroleum, the company with the largest presence in offshore exploration, are positive. In 2002, offshore drilling undertaken by Woodside-led ventures established the Chinguetti field as a commercial prospect and discovered a significant oil and gas column in the Banda field. First oil could flow from Chinguetti in 2005, probably from a floating, production, storage and offloading vessel, a Woodside spokesman says. A reserves estimate has