September 2018
How did you come to be in the oil and gas industry?
Quite unintentionally as a matter of fact! My family moved from my home state of Michigan to Texas when I was in high school and after graduating from high school I applied for admission to the Mechanical Engineering program at Texas A&M University. During the admission process, however, the head of the Petroleum Engineering department at A&M offered me a scholarship if I would matriculate in Petroleum Engineering. That seemed like a reasonable offer … so I switched curriculums and the rest is history, as they say.
What makes the MSGBC Basin an attractive region to do business?
The MSGBC Basin is an attractive region to do business for a number of reasons. Most importantly the basins geologic characteristics provide the potential for sizable discoveries of hydrocarbons as demonstrated by a number of operators already. The technology required to operate in the region is easily accessible to smaller operators. The fiscal terms offered by the governments are fair with reasonable work commitments and cost recovery mechanisms that allow for rapid recovery of risk capital in the event of success.
What have been the developments for Oryx Petroleum in the MSGBC Basin over the past year?
During the past year we have been interpreting 3D seismic data acquired and processed in 2017 and are in the final stages of prospect ranking and selection. We are very excited by what we see on the seismic and expect to start exploration drilling in 2019.
What game-changing discovery/ project/ technology is currently making waves?
For us the relevant game changing discovery/project in the region is the discovery of the SNE oil field in the Sangomar license offshore Senegal held by Cairn, FAR and Woodside. This discovery has validated the shelf-edge play that we are pursuing in our license and that others are pursuing elsewhere in the basin.
What are you most looking forward to at the MSGBC Basin Summit & Exhibition? What would you like to take away from the gathering?
We are looking forward to learning more about what other operators are doing and seeing in the basin and we are looking forward to spending some time with representatives of the AGC and generally enjoying the hospitality of the Senegalese.
About Vance Querio
Vance Querio joined Oryx Petroleum in March 2012 and served as its West Africa Regional Manager until being appointed Chief Operating Officer in April 2015, and promoted as Chief Executive Officer in March 2016.
Prior to joining Oryx Petroleum, Vance worked with Addax Petroleum, where he was Chairman and Managing Director for its Nigeria Business Unit, leading Addax Petroleum’s operations as the largest independent oil company in Nigeria, with peak production capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. He previously provided executive management and professional engineering services for several oil industry companies and worked with Chevron for 20 years, in various positions, including projects in the Middle East, West Africa, North and South America and South East Asia.
Vance is a member of the Swiss section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and is also a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators and American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
He is a graduate in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University in the United States.
Vance Querio will be speaking on the panel ‘Risk-Taking & Perseverance: Undeterred E&P Activity in a Still Largely Underexplored Region' at the upcoming MSGBC Basin Summit & Exhibition taking place in Dakar, 24 – 26 October 2018.
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