Accra, Dec 16, GNA - Kosmos Energy on Friday announced that Mr Darrell McKenna has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of the company with effect from January 3, next year.
A statement by Kosmos Energy , copied to GNA, said Mr McKenna will be responsible for the Company’s global drilling, development, and production functions, as well as Kosmos’ health, environment, and safety programs.
It said prior to joining Kosmos Energy, Mr McKenna held the position of President of Hess Australia for Hess Corporation.
The statement said Mr McKenna also served as Vice President of multiple functions at Hess Corporation, including Global Drilling and Completions, Exploration and Production Technology, as well as the Africa Business Unit.
It said before joining Hess, Mr McKenna held multiple roles of increasing responsibility within the oil and gas industry, including 18 years with Mobil Oil Corporation.
The statement said he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Montana School of Mineral Science and Technology.
“We are very fortunate to have Darrell join the Kosmos team. With over 30 years of energy and leadership experience, Darrell brings a very strong production and operational background to Kosmos Energy, including significant international and West Africa-specific expertise.
“We have significantly enhanced our capacity as an organization by adding Darrell, which will prove beneficial as we move forward with plans to significantly grow our existing production and discover new petroleum systems over the next few years,” said Brian F. Maxted, President and Chief Executive Officer, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, Kosmos Energy said it has executed two Production Sharing Contracts with Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname N.V., the national oil company of Suriname, for Blocks offshore Suriname .
It said the addition of the acreage is a significant expansion of the Company’s exploration portfolio and represents Kosmos’ first acreage acquisition outside of West Africa.
The statement said the two blocks cover an area of nearly 3 million gross acres, in water depths of between 650 and 8,500 feet. Block 42 is an area of over 1.5 million acres and block 45 is approximately 1.3 million acres.
It said “Kosmos will be operator of both blocks with a 100 percent working interest. Neither of the blocks has previously been drilled. In the initial exploration phase under each of the contracts, Kosmos plans to acquire 3D seismic data. The Company targets first drilling as early as 2014.
The statement said the company has entered into a Reconnaissance Contract for the Tarhazoute Block offshore the Kingdom of Morocco.
It said: “Covering 1.9 million gross acres in water depths of between 3,250 and 8,200 feet, the Tarhazoute Block is located offshore in the Agadir basin immediately between the Company’s Essaouira and Foum Assaka Blocks. Kosmos will be the operator of the Tarhazoute Block with a 100 percent working interest.
The Reconnaissance Contract has a one-year term, after which the Company has the right to enter into a petroleum agreement for the acreage.”
The statement said Kosmos will initially reprocess existing 2D seismic and that Brian F. Maxted, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “With our executed agreement over the Tarhazoute area, we have now licensed the large majority of the Agadir basin petroleum system and our 3D seismic acquisition program is underway, beginning in the Essaouira Block.”

The Cosmos Buffalos stood tallest by defeating league champions Dansoman Hurricanes 27-5 in the final of the Ghana Rugby Association’s end of year 7s Gala at the Ajax park in Legon on Saturday. Cosmos were ruthless throughout having already demolished IDAS Rugby Club 26-0 in their group B prelims.

Hurricanes who won the maiden Greater Accra Rugby League earlier this year, defeated Accra Sharks 22-0 in their group A tiebreaker having earlier drawn 5-5 in the opening game.

The 7s gala also had Coastal Beach Boys taking on Ashanti Black Bulls and Oguaaman Ocean Warriors Ladies against Cosmos Buffalo Ladies in exhibition matches. The Ashanti team played their first ever rugby match as a result, leaving Ghana Rugby President Gifty Annan-Myers in ecstasy over what she perceives as a great future for the sport in this country.

She told ALL SPORTS: “It’s been a very successful day and we are very excited. This year has been unique, for the first time we played a league which was by Dansoman Hurricanes and we also held this gala to bring everybody together. Our sponsors have also been very supportive and have started making noise already so next year certainly is going to be better. We are going to go a step further,” Ms. Annan-Myers, also Executive Member of the Confederation of African Rugby, stated.

She is also appreciative to the University of Ghana who have given out a land for the construction of a modern rugby pitch for the association.

“We appreciate the benevolence of the University of Ghana allowing us to play here. We’ve taken the first step and that’s all the benevolence of UG, they are handing us the Rugby pitch supported by National Sports Authority who will refurbish it,” stated the Ghana Rugby capo who further disclosed that the association will climax the year with training courses for coaches, referees and journalists between 9th and 22nd December.

One of those sponsors are Clifton Homes who took care of last Saturday’s gala and are promising even more.

Ernest Hanson, Managing Partner of Clifton Homes and a keen rugby enthusiast, and whose company already sponsors Accra Sharks, says they are determined to help Ghana qualify for the 2016 Olympics when the sport is incorporated.

Mr. Hanson told ALL SPORTS: “There is too much noise on football sponsorship and you can grow by sponsoring a growing sport like rugby. The management of Clifton Homes are also big fans of rugby. We would like to put Ghana in the position to be able to play in the Olympic games of 2016.

“We’ll continue to sponsor Accra Sharks and we’ll also support the national set-up. I invite other corporate bodies to get on board because there is value in sponsoring rugby. The game has a future and there is economic as well as corporate value.”