Masirah Oil begins delayed drilling campaign at Yumna field

MUSCAT, OCT 21
Masirah Oil Limited has begun work on the first well of its delayed drilling programme at the offshore Yumna oilfield in Oman’s Block 50, with production from the new well expected to start in November.
The development marks the start of field operations under a programme originally scheduled for March 2026, before successive revisions to its timetable.
In a statement released on October 21, through an Oslo stock exchange announcement by its parent company, Jasmine Energy Limited, Masirah Oil confirmed that work had commenced on the first well of its infill drilling campaign.
Mike Hopkinson, General Manager of Masirah Oil, said: “We expect production from the new well to start in November 2026.” The company did not disclose the cost of the new well, its expected production rate or a revised completion timetable for the wider drilling programme.
Masirah Oil had announced in January that its parent holding company, Rex Oman Ltd, had signed a contract for the Energy Emerger jack-up drilling rig, operated by Northern Offshore Drilling Operations Ltd, to drill three development wells at Yumna. The programme was initially expected to begin in March. In April, the company moved the anticipated start to May, before announcing in June that a further update on the schedule would be provided.
The latest announcement therefore represents a shift from revised schedules to work beginning on the first well, although the company has not explained the reasons for the delay. The programme is intended to increase oil production and extend the productive life of Yumna, an established offshore field in the Gulf of Masirah.
Production data previously released by the company underline the importance of additional wells. Average gross production stood at 854 barrels per day (bpd) in January 2026, declining to 746 bpd in February and 742 bpd in March. These figures provide a historical baseline, but the company has not disclosed the expected contribution of the new well or more recent production data in its latest announcement.
Masirah Oil is the operator and holds a 100 per cent interest in Block 50. It is also an indirect 87.5 per cent subsidiary of Jasmine Energy Limited, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore-listed Rex International Holding Limited.
The Yumna field began producing oil in 2020 and has undergone subsequent drilling and production-system improvements. A previous multi-well campaign in 2024 included the Yumna-5 well, which entered production in April of that year.