Majors and US independents leave southeast Asian gap
A rush to US shale has left opportunities for others in areas left behind
US independent Murphy Oil became in March the latest US independent to exit Asia in preference for concentrating on US shale and America's deep-water assets. The firm will sell its Malaysian production and reserves to Thailand's state oil firm PTTEP for over $2bn. Murphy plans "to continue its current oil-weighted strategy in both the Eagle Ford shale and the Gulf of Mexico, while maintaining its focused exploration plan". Thus $750mn of the proceeds of its PTTEP deal will be earmarked for US oil-weighted opportunities through potential acquisitions and/or the funding of both deep-water projects and US onshore opportunities, the firm says. "Murphy had been keen to sell their assets for quite
Also in this section
10 March 2026
By shutting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has cut exports of distillate-rich Middle Eastern crude, jet fuel and diesel, and is holding the energy market hostage
10 March 2026
Eni’s director for global gas and LNG portfolio, Cristian Signoretto, discusses how demand will respond to rising LNG supply, and how the company is expanding its own gas and LNG operations through disciplined, capital-efficient investments
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent
9 March 2026
Energy sanctions are becoming an increasingly prominent tool of US foreign policy, with the country’s growth in oil and gas production allowing it to impose pressure on rivals without jeopardising its own energy security or that of its allies, argues Matthew McManus, a visiting fellow at the National Center for Energy Analytics
