Durrant Pate/Contributor

United Oil & Gas is announcing the completion of Stage 2 of its Surface Geochemical Exploration (SGE) programme and the commencement of Stage 3 operations on its Walton-Morant offshore oil prospect in Jamaica. 

The SGE programme is a non-drilling, early-stage scientific survey to assess the petroleum potential on the Walton-Morant Licence, which represents a key operational step toward further de-risking the oil prospect and advancing the project’s technical evaluation and commercial discussions.

The United Kingdom-based company says stage 2, which involved seabed heat-flow measurements, has been completed with Stage 3, involving piston coring, now underway, representing a critical phase of its oil exploration programme in Jamaica.

Phase 3 started today

Today (February 23, 2026), United Oil & Gas initiated a Stage 3 piston coring survey, collecting up to 42 seafloor samples in the Walton-Morant Licence area offshore Jamaica. 

This operation aims to confirm an active petroleum system by testing for thermogenic hydrocarbons near key prospects like Colibri, Streamertail, and Oriole, where 3D seismic data already suggests potential, with the 42 locations spread across the Walton and Morant Basins. 

Stage 2 heat-flow measurements have now been completed and will provide valuable technical information for future geological modelling. Data from the previously completed Stage 1 high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) acquisition have also been integrated with the existing seismic dataset. 

Developments to date

This has resulted in the identification of numerous seabed features of interest and the selection of 42 optimal piston core locations for Stage 3 of the survey. Stage 3 piston coring is now underway, with up to 42 cores planned across priority areas, predominantly within the Walton Basin and in proximity to United Oil & Gas’ Colibri, Streamertail and Oriole prospects, where existing 3D seismic and supporting datasets indicate potential hydrocarbon migration. 

Additionally, key locations in the Morant basin will also be cored. This stage of the survey will recover seabed sediment samples for geochemical analysis to test for thermogenic hydrocarbons, which, if present, will provide direct physical evidence of an active petroleum system offshore Jamaica.

The piston coring operations are expected to take approximately one week, subject to weather conditions, with samples then shipped to Houston, Texas, for laboratory analysis.

United Oil& Gas CEO, Brian Larkin, emphasises, “The completion of heat-flow measurements and commencement of piston coring marks a major step forward in our Jamaica exploration programme. The integration of the acquired data has allowed us to optimise coring locations in the Walton Basin, including near our key Colibri, Streamertail and Oriole prospects, as well as at key locations in the Morant Basin. Piston coring is the defining phase of this programme, providing the opportunity to physically confirm the presence of thermogenic hydrocarbons offshore Jamaica. We look forward to completing operations and updating the market in due course.” 

United Oil & Gas holds a 100% interest in the 22,400 km² Walton-Morant offshore licence in Jamaica, which was recently extended until January 31, 2028. The licence targets a high-impact exploration area with potential for over 2.4 billion barrels of oil, with ongoing seabed sampling (piston coring) designed to further de-risk the project.