Atlantic Energy Alignment: Senegal and Suriname Move to Share Offshore Expertise at Caribbean Energy Week 2026

PARAMARIBO, Suriname — February 25, 2026.

A transatlantic energy alignment is quietly taking shape—one that could redefine how emerging oil and gas frontiers collaborate, compete, and scale.

Senegal’s national oil company, Petrosen E&P, is set to participate in Caribbean Energy Week (CEW) 2026 in Paramaribo, marking a strategic step toward deepening technical cooperation with Suriname’s state energy company, Staatsolie.

While geographically distant, the two nations are increasingly linked by a shared reality: complex offshore basins, high-stakes exploration, and the urgent need to translate discoveries into commercially viable production.

Why This Collaboration Matters

At the center of this engagement is a recognition that geology does not respect geography.

Senegal’s MSGBC Basin and Suriname’s Guyana-Suriname Basin are both hydrocarbon-rich yet technically demanding environments. Success in these basins depends less on discovery and more on precision—seismic interpretation, reservoir modelling, and disciplined field development planning.

This is where Senegal brings strategic value.

Over the past decade, the country has evolved from exploration frontier to execution benchmark in West Africa, with projects that demonstrate a full-cycle transition from seismic data to production.

Senegal’s Offshore Playbook

Senegal’s credibility in this dialogue is anchored in recent milestones:

• Sangomar Oil Field — currently producing approximately 100,000 barrels per day, marking Senegal’s entry into oil production

• Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) LNG Project — a cross-border deepwater gas development with Mauritania, now exporting LNG

• Yakaar–Teranga Gas Project — a major domestic gas development with long-term energy implications

Earlier discoveries such as SNE-1 and FAN-1 were unlocked through advanced seismic interpretation, setting the foundation for these developments.

The broader lesson is not discovery—it is conversion: turning geological success into structured, financed, and operational projects.

Suriname’s Upstream Momentum

On the other side of the Atlantic, Suriname is entering a critical growth phase.

Through Staatsolie, the country is accelerating its offshore program with a focus on data-driven exploration and investor engagement:

• 3D seismic surveys offshore Saramacca and Coronie

• An Open-Door Licensing Program aimed at attracting global operators

• Active deepwater developments, including:

  • A production sharing contract with Petronas (Block 66)

  • The Sloanea gas discovery in Block 52, now commercially declared

Suriname’s challenge is familiar: reducing subsurface uncertainty while moving quickly toward development decisions.

This is precisely where Senegal’s experience becomes relevant.

From Knowledge Exchange to Strategic Advantage

The Petrosen delegation—comprising senior technical and data specialists—signals that this is not a symbolic visit.

It is a working engagement, focused on:

• Seismic data interpretation and basin analysis

• Exploration data management systems

• Promotion strategies for attracting international partners

• Workforce capacity-building in upstream operations

This level of technical exchange reflects a broader shift in how emerging producers collaborate—not through policy alignment alone, but through shared operational intelligence.

Caribbean Energy Week 2026: A Strategic Platform

Taking place from March 30 to April 1, 2026, Caribbean Energy Week is positioning itself as more than a regional event.

It is becoming a cross-basin convergence point—bringing together:

• National oil companies (NOCs)

• International operators

• Investors and financiers

• Technical experts across upstream and LNG value chains

For Senegal and Suriname, it offers a neutral ground to translate shared challenges into joint solutions.

The Bigger Picture: A New Model of Energy Cooperation

This engagement points to a larger trend.

As new hydrocarbon provinces emerge globally, traditional North-South knowledge flows are being complemented—and in some cases replaced—by South-South collaboration.

Countries like Senegal and Suriname are no longer waiting for external validation. They are:

• Sharing expertise across similar geological contexts

• Accelerating learning curves through peer exchange

• Reducing exploration and development risk collectively

In a capital-constrained environment, this model is not just efficient—it is strategic.

The Bottom Line

Energy frontiers succeed not just on what they discover, but on how quickly they learn.

Senegal has moved through that curve.

Suriname is entering it.

Caribbean Energy Week 2026 is where those trajectories meet—and where a new playbook for offshore development may begin to take shape.

 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power. Enhanced analysis and editorial by Streamline.