United Oil and Gas today announced that Herona Thompson has been appointed Country Manager in Jamaica. Herona is a geologist by background and brings extensive experience of working in the petroleum industry having worked for both the Government of Jamaica and for the private sector on Jamaican and international projects. Herona will play a key role in overseeing and implementing the work programme that was recently agreed with the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport ("MSETT") as part of the two-year extension to the Initial Exploration Period of the Walton Morant Licence.

United currently holds and operates a 100% equity interest in the Walton Morant Licence, Jamaica, which is a 22,400km2 offshore exploration block situated to the south of the island. Planning is already underway for the acquisition of a piston core survey on the licence, which will aim to directly sample the seabed for traces of flowing hydrocarbons that have naturally leaked to the surface. This initiative allows the Company to maintain the momentum of its work programme while continuing to engage with potential strategic partners.

The high-quality data-set that has been acquired over the last 5 years enables each core that is to be extracted by the piston core survey to be optimally targeted, maximising the chances of success. A positive result from the survey showing traces of hydrocarbons would substantially de-risk the leads and prospects already identified – eleven of which have been independently evaluated to contain a combined 2.4 billion barrels unrisked mean prospective resources. 

United Chief Executive Officer, Brian Larkin commented, 
“We are very pleased to welcome Herona to the United team. With her experience of the industry and of managing projects in Jamaica, her appointment will be key to implementing the planned work programme and delivering positive results. 

In parallel to progressing the technical work programme to unlock the vast potential of the licence, we continue to engage positively with potential strategic partners through a farm-out campaign, and look forward to providing further updates to the market as both the work programme and farm-out process continue.”

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