Meanwhile, the U.S. player’s phase three drilling program in Gabon kicked off in the fourth quarter of 2025 with the drilling of two pilot wells in the Etame field . Based on the results of the pilot wells, the firm proceeded with the drilling of the Etame 15H-ST1 development well in the 1V block of Etame in December 2025. Vaalco used Borr Drilling’s Norve jack-up rig for its Gabon operations during its 2021/2022 drilling campaign . This rig got another assignment in the country last year .
The well was completed and placed on production in January 2026, confirming expectations from the ET-15P pilot well results. The company recently announced that although the West Etame exploration well (ET-14P) encountered 10 meters of high-quality sands, the target zone was water-bearing.