SASOL Petroleum International — a Sasol subsidiary — and Malaysian national oil company Petronas have assigned a 15% participating interest in Mozambique’s M-10 block to Mozambique’s national oil company Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos, Sasol said yesterday.

Sasol has also assigned a 15% interest in the offshore Sofala block to Empresa. The assignment of the interests to Empresa is a move on the part of Sasol International Petroleum to strengthen its relationship with the government of Mozambique, according to Sasol Petroleum International MD Ebbie Haan.

Sasol Petroleum International develops and manages the group's upstream interests in oil and gas exploration and production. Petronas is its partner in the M-10 block. Prior to the transfer of interest to Empresa, Sasol Petroleum had a 100% interest in Safala. Sasol Petroleum International is still the sole operator of the two blocks.

As a result of the assignment to Empresa, Sasol Petroleum International and Petronas now hold 42,5% participating interest in M-10 block.

The M-10 block covers 4089km', while Safala covers an area of 11458km'.