Coincidences

BP makes sixth oil discovery in deepwater block 31 Angolia

Offshore staff
Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola (Sonangol) and BP announced the Ceres-1 oil discovery in ultra-deepwater block 31, offshore Angola.
Ceres-1 is the sixth successful discovery BP has drilled in block 31, following Pluta, Saturno, Marte, Venus, and Palas. It is 32 km southeast of the Plutão discovery, and 31 km northeast of the Palas discovery announced earlier in 2005.
Semisubmersible drilling rig the Leiv Eiriksson drilled Ceres-1 in 1,633 m of water 360 km northwest of Luanda, Angola, and reached a total depth 4,334 m.
The well tested at a maximum rate of 5,844 b/d through a 44/64 in. choke. Further work is ongoing to evaluate the size of the discovery.
Sonangol is the concessionaire of block 31. BP as operator holds 26.67%.
Partners in block 31 are Esso Exploration and Production Angola (block 31) Ltd. 25%, Sonangol EP 20%, Statoil Angola AS 13.33%, Marathon Petroleum Angola Ltd. 10%, and TEPA (block 31) Ltd. (a subsidiary of the Total Group) with 5%.
04-01-05

WHO Downplays Fears of Virus in Angola

- By JONATHAN FOWLER, Associated Press WriterFriday, April 1, 2005
(04-01) 17:55 PST GENEVA, Switzerland (AP) --
The World Health Organization on Friday played down the danger of a wide spread of an Ebola-like virus that has killed 127 people in Angola, including 12 health workers.
Although it is the deadliest recorded outbreak of the rare Marburg disease, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said it can be controlled.
"Marburg is less severe than Ebola," she told reporters, saying an Ebola sufferer is capable of infecting about a dozen people but someone with Marburg infects only about four others.
"So we certainly can control this disease if people sick with it are put in isolation and if we identify all their contacts," Chaib said.
WHO said Italian authorities had isolated nine people who came in contact with a sufferer in Angola, but none had shown any symptoms of Marburg. No other details were released about the nine.
Like Ebola, which also has hit Africa, Marburg is a hemorrhagic fever. It spreads through bodily fluids and can kill rapidly. There is no vaccine or cure.
Angola has recorded 132 cases, about three-quarters of them in children younger than 5, since the virus was identified there last week, Chaib said.
The worst previously recorded outbreak of the virus killed 123 people in neighboring Congo between 1998 and 2000. That was also the last known outbreak.
Almost all the Angola deaths occurred in the northern province of Uige, on the border with Congo. A 15-year-old boy died of the disease in the capital, Luanda, Chaib said.
WHO, Angola's Health Ministry and the aid group Doctors Without Borders have sent medical teams to Uige to try to identify and isolate all sufferers, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it also was sending experts. A mobile laboratory provided by Canada was set to start work Friday, Chaib said.

Wonder