Ecopetrol Sa News

EXMAR has teamed up with Pacific Rubiales to build a small-scale LNG export project in northern Colombia. The Colombian-Canadian exploration and production player and EXMAR have begun front-end engineering and design for the scheme. Plans involve building a small liquefaction barge and a pipeline from the company’s La Creciente gas field to the Caribbean coast and shipping to the targeted markets. The project is targeting Caribbean and Central American markets. Pacific Rubiales…

The Colombian government Tuesday granted exploration and production rights on nine offshore areas on the Caribbean coast to five different companies in an effort to boost the country's oil reserves. In Tuesday's auction, Colombian state-owned oil company Ecopetrol SA, India's state-run oil company Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (500312.BY), Brazil's Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PBR), U.K.-based BP PlC (BP) and Hess Corp. (HES) won the rights separately or in partnership to explore the nine blocks. Four blocks didn't attract bidders. The Colombian government is trying to attract oil companies to the country to boost oil reserves and output in a bid to remain oil self-sufficient. If current consumption and production trends continue, the country will become a net oil importer in 2014.