Eni and its partners in Area 4 have begun the drilling and completion campaign for the Coral North floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) project offshore Mozambique, according to an announcement by the operator dated 2 November 2026. The work is being carried out using the Saipem 12000 drillship, which has now mobilised to the Rovuma Basin to start operations for the project. The campaign marks the start of the subsurface phase for a development that will feed a floating liquefaction facility offshore Mozambique.
The Coral North development is located in the northern part of the Coral reservoir, within Area 4 of the Rovuma Basin. This offshore gas province off the coast of Mozambique has been the focus of Eni's Coral developments, and Coral North extends the drilling programme into a new section of the same reservoir. The project is targeting startup in 2028, which sets the timeline against which the current drilling and completion campaign will be executed.
A drilling and completion campaign of this type covers the wells that will supply gas to the FLNG vessel, along with the associated completion work needed to bring those wells into service. The use of a drillship such as the Saipem 12000 reflects the deepwater conditions of the Rovuma Basin, where the Coral reservoirs are located in water depths that require dynamically positioned drilling vessels.
For the industry, the start of the campaign is a milestone on the path to the 2028 startup target and signals continued activity for drilling contractors and subsea service providers working in Mozambique. It also advances the second phase of Eni's Coral FLNG programme, keeping the Area 4 partnership on schedule to bring additional liquefaction capacity online from the northern part of the reservoir.
Source: Drilling Contractor
