Sonatrach discovers oil in Berkine basin

Sonatrach Petroleum Group has announced the discovery of oil in the Berkine basin. The operation was carried out in east-Algerian area of Hassi Messaoud on Tuesday in partnership with the Thai BTTIB Corporation and China’s CNOOC. In a statement, the government-owned petroleum company said that the discovery came as the result of exploration drill MAS-1 in the area surrounding the Hassi Bir Rekaiz oil field. The three partners will continue work on the discovered field to assess its value and develop projects in the Hassi Messaoud. A cooperation deal with see Sonatrach take 51 percent share of the oil found, with BTTIB and CNOOC getting 24.5 percent each.