A closely-watched exploration probe has been completed offshore Morocco by Eni, with all indicators suggesting the well was unsuccessful.

If confirmed, the disappointing result will be a blow to the country’s maritime exploration scene, which after decades of drilling has turned up just a solitary commercial discovery, Chariot Energy’s Anchois field, which is in the process of being developed.

Hopes were high that Eni’s Cinnamon-1X probe could have opened up a new oil play in Moroccan waters, although these expectations seem to have been dashed on the country’s geologically challenging rocks.