VAALCO Energy Inc. (NYSE: EGY) announced that production has resumed at the Baobab field on the CI-40 block offshore Côte d'Ivoire following completion of the Baobab Ivoirien Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel refurbishment.

The FPSO ceased hydrocarbon operations in January 2025 and underwent a nine-month refurbishment in Dubai. The vessel returned to Côte d'Ivoire in early second quarter 2026, was moored into position and reconnected to field infrastructure.

Production has resumed from four producing wells, with the remaining three producers expected to come online shortly. The company stated the field is performing in line with expectations.

The refurbishment was undertaken to extend the vessel's operational life ahead of a planned development drilling program at Baobab scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026. The Phase 5 drilling program is expected to include four producers, two to three injectors and two workovers.

"We are excited that the Baobab field on the CI-40 block offshore Côte d'Ivoire has restarted production in line with our projected timeline," said George Maxwell, VAALCO's Chief Executive Officer. "We have the CI-40 block license extended through 2038 and believe that there is significant development drilling upside at Baobab."

VAALCO is a Houston-based independent energy company with production, development and exploration assets across Gabon, Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea. The company stated it had no assets in Côte d'Ivoire in early 2024.