Spudded in mid-February, Khop-1 in PSC Area C Block 6 was targeting between 100 million barrels (P90) and 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves in a dominant four-way dip structure.

However, Roc reported yesterday that the well was being plugged and abandoned by operator PC Mauritania after encountering thin sands with non-commercial oil shows.

It is the latest in a series of disappointing drilling results for Roc in the past few weeks.

This month alone, the company has plugged and abandoned the second consecutive well in its Beibu Gulf offshore China drilling program, made another sub-commercial discovery in Angola, and abandoned a follow-up well to the Frankland gas discovery in the offshore Perth Basin.

Khop-1 was drilled by the Atwood Hunter drilling rig in 925m of water, about 70km off the Mauritanian coast.

The rig will now move to PSC Area B to appraise the 2002 Banda gas and oil discovery.

Roc has a 5% stake in PSC Area C, Block 6, and a 3.69% stake in PSC Area B.

Joining Roc and PSC Mauritania in the blocks are Malaysia's national oil company, Petronas, which bought its stakes from Woodside in September, and Tullow Oil, which acquired its interest during the Hardman Resources takeover.