Mexico’s state-owned Pemex has filed the development plan for the unitised Zama giant oilfield offshore Mexico to industry regulator National Commission of Hydrocarbons (CNH) for approval.

Zama was discovered by Talos Energy in 2017on offshore Block 7 and the field was fully appraised in 2019 by the Block 7 consortium, which includes Talos, Wintershall Dea and Harbour Energy.

Pemex had already drilled a well on a neighbouring block — with the reservoirs proving to be contiguous — and the Mexican national oil company subsequently forced though a claim to take over operatorship and pursue unitisation, which Talos ultimately accepted rather than carrying out a threat to move to arbitration.