South Africa’s national oil company PetroSA and the South African unit of independent US oil and gas group Andarko have signed an exploration-rights deal relating to ‘frontier acreage’ located south-west of Cape Town.

The agreement, which has been approved by the Petroleum Agency of South Africa and the Department of Mineral Resources, involves block 5/6 and block 7 offshore South Africa.

In terms of the deal, Andarko South Africa will operate the first exploration period.