Libya-Tunisia Joint Oil opens bid round for 3,000km² offshore exploration block
Joint Oil has opened a new international bid round covering 3,000km² of offshore acreage in the Gabes-Tripoli Basin, alongside an opportunity to develop the cross-border Zarat oil and gas discovery
The Tunisia-Libya Joint Exploration, Exploitation and Petroleum Services Company (Joint Oil) has opened its latest bid round, seeking industry partners for exploration of its offshore block and the development of the Zarat discovery, which straddles the maritime border between the two countries.
The bid round opened on September 7, 2026 and will remain open until December 31, with interested companies required to submit their bids by January 8, 2027. Joint Oil will notify successful bidders by February 26, with formal awards targeted for April 30, 2027.
The exploration opportunity covers approximately 3,000km² in water depths ranging from 80m to 120m in the Gabes-Tripoli Basin in the central Mediterranean.
The acreage is supported by a substantial existing geological dataset, including 6,500km of 2D seismic data and 1,900km² of 3D seismic data. Five wells have also been drilled across the block, including Zohra-1, El Amal South-1, Besmah-1, El Amal North-1 and Zarat North-1.
Joint Oil is offering the exploration acreage under an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA). Companies with established offshore exploration and development capabilities can apply for access to the project’s virtual data room, managed by upstream adviser Moyes & Co.
The second part of the bid round focuses on the Zarat discovery, an oil and gas resource that extends across the Tunisia-Libya maritime boundary. Joint Oil plans to develop Zarat as a unitised resource, with the project to be governed by a Development and Production Sharing Agreement and related unitisation and operating agreements.
The location gives the acreage access to an established producing area. On the Libyan side, nearby fields include El Bouri, El Jurf and Bahr Essalam, while Tunisia’s surrounding producing fields include Hasdrubal, Ashtart, Miskar and Didon.
Joint Oil says the proximity to existing fields and infrastructure could support future development and provide access to established operational and export networks across the basin.
The company is a joint venture involving Tunisia’s Tunisian Corporation of Petroleum Activities (ETAP) and Libya’s Ola Energy Holdings, and has managed hydrocarbon resources in the Tunisia-Libya offshore area since 1988.
The bid round comes as both countries seek to advance development of shared offshore resources. The opportunity is also being presented to potential investors at industry events, including the World Energy Summit in London on September 29-30.
