Oil found in seabed samples off Jamaica’s southern coast, survey shows
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United Oil & Gas Plc has confirmed the presence of oil indicators on the seabed floor offshore Jamaica following a recent survey.
“We have identified butane and pentane hydrocarbons in the analysis. These results enhance our understanding of the licence and provide an important input as we advance towards a drilling decision,” said Brian Larkin, CEO of United Oil & Gas. “We believe United’s technical evaluation of the licence’s potential will support our ongoing farm-out process as we work to advance this world-class licence, which contains approximately seven billion of prospective resources.”
The company holds the Walton-Morant Licence – a roughly 22,000-square-kilometre exploration zone running along Jamaica’s southern coast – and recently concluded the analysis of 42 piston cores acquired during its 2026 Seabed Geochemical Exploration survey. The identified hydrocarbons include butanes and pentanes, classified as C4 and C5 hydrocarbons, which are not typically associated with biogenic gas systems.
Their presence, the company said, is “consistent with a potential thermogenic contribution” – meaning the hydrocarbons likely originated from heat-processed organic matter buried deep in the earth, the same process that generates commercial oil and gas deposits.
The result adds a fresh data point to an already suggestive body of evidence. United previously noted that the licence area has recorded repeated slick anomalies. It also conducted 2D and 3D modelling of the area. The 2026 survey collected samples from the ocean and seabed floor for lab testing.
Jamaica’s offshore geology has drawn comparisons to the prolific Guyana-Suriname basin, where ExxonMobil and partners have made a string of major discoveries. However, the dark, oil-like substances observed in Jamaican waters were untested, and scientists have cautioned they could prove to be non-commercial sludge rather than recoverable crude — underscoring the importance of the current survey work.
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