Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott
Mixed outlook for Mauritania’s upstream
As a major LNG scheme continues to advance on the Mauritania-Senegal border, other Mauritanian upstream prospects may be left behind
Mauritania is attempting to encourage further exploration of its offshore gas prospects, in addition to the ongoing development of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project shared with neighbouring Senegal. But despite that scheme’s progress, there is little indication of the potentially large-scale Orca-1 prospect advancing. Norwegian oil services firm TGS—backed by Mauritania’s ministry of hydrocarbons and what it describes as “industry funding”—will carry out a seismic survey in the Mauritania-Senegal-Gambia-Bissau-Conakry basin off the Mauritanian coast. The survey will examine “ultra-deep and deepwater areas” in order “to build on the success [of] Greater Tortue Ahmeyim”. The seismic data will
Also in this section
19 March 2026
The regional crisis highlights the undervalued role of fixed pipelines in the age of tanker flexibility
18 March 2026
Rising LNG exports and AI-driven power demand have raised concerns that US gas prices could climb sharply, but analysts say abundant shale supply and continued productivity gains should keep Henry Hub within a range that preserves the competitiveness of US LNG
18 March 2026
Risks of shortages in oil products may cause world leaders to panic and make mistakes instead of letting the market do what it does best
17 March 2026
The crisis in the Middle East has put LNG’s ability to offer security and flexibility under uncomfortable scrutiny
