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Here are the key takeaways:

​Potential Oil Discovery: Following tests off the south coast earlier this year that identified hydrocarbons, Jamaica is closer to a "drill decision" than it has been in the past. While commercial production is still years away (likely the mid-2030s if successful), the results have been described as "very positive" by the Jamaican government.

​Economic Drivers: Jamaica imports all of its fuel, costing the country roughly $1.5–$2 billion annually. Proponents argue that the country needs to pursue these oil reserves to achieve energy security and fund improvements in healthcare, education, and social infrastructure, especially given the country's economic struggles post-pandemic and the impact of recent disasters like Hurricane Melissa.

​Environmental Conflict: The prospect of drilling has drawn sharp criticism from environmentalists. Critics argue that pursuing fossil fuels contradicts Jamaica's global advocacy for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and its commitments to protect coastal ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs. They also emphasize that the island is highly vulnerable to the climate crisis and that the potential for an oil spill poses a catastrophic risk to its tourism and fishing industries.

​The Dilemma: The article highlights a broader, difficult debate for developing nations in the region: the choice between maintaining a "moral high ground" regarding the global transition to green energy versus the urgent, "bread-and-butter" necessity of generating revenue and reducing debt.

RNS Number : 5281Z

United Oil & Gas PLC

08 April 2026

United Oil & Gas PLC / Index: AIM / Epic: UOG / Sector: Oil & Gas

08 April 2026

United Oil & Gas plc

("United" or "the Company")

SGE Survey Analysis Update

United Oil & Gas Plc (AIM: UOG), the oil and gas company with a high-impact exploration asset in Jamaica and a development asset in the UK, is pleased to provide an update on the analysis of piston core samples from its recently completed Seabed Geochemical Exploration ("SGE") survey over the Walton-Morant Licence offshore Jamaica.

United has undertaken a geochemical analysis on the 42 piston cores acquired across the Walton-Morant Licence. The analysis has identified C4 and C5 hydrocarbons, including butanes and pentanes, in select piston cores within the headspace gas dataset. United note that these higher order hydrocarbons are not typically associated with biogenic gas systems and are therefore consistent with a potential thermogenic contribution.

There is an established body of evidence for an active petroleum system in Jamaica in general, and on the licence in particular, including repeat satellite slick anomalies, thermogenic hydrocarbon geochemistry from existing onshore and offshore wells, onshore and offshore oil seeps, and onshore surface outcrops. Furthermore, petroleum systems modelling suggests the presence of oil-mature source rocks. The 2026 SGE survey is the first on the licence to be optimally positioned using 3D seismic, multibeam echosounder (MBES) seabed mapping, and satellite-derived slick anomaly data. Taken together, the data are interpreted as consistent with an active petroleum system offshore Jamaica.

United will integrate the results into its geological understanding and risking models, and the dataset will support ongoing technical evaluation and farm-out discussions.

Brian Larkin, CEO of United Oil & Gas, commented:

"The 2026 piston core survey results represent an important step forward in our understanding of the Walton Morant licence. We have identified butane and pentane hydrocarbons in the analysis. These results enhance our understanding of the licence and provide an important input as we advance towards a drilling decision. We look forward to integrating the results into our subsurface work and continuing to progress discussions with interested parties. We believe United's technical evaluation of the licence's potential will support our ongoing farm-out process as we work to advance this world-class licence which contains approximately 7 billion of prospective resources."

Qualified Person Statement

Paul Ryan, who has over 20 years of relevant experience in the oil and gas industry, has reviewed and approved the information contained in this announcement. Paul Ryan is a qualified person as defined in the guidance note for Mining Oil & Gas Companies of the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the Geoscience

RNS Number : 5281Z

United Oil & Gas PLC

08 April 2026

United Oil & Gas PLC / Index: AIM / Epic: UOG / Sector: Oil & Gas

08 April 2026

United Oil & Gas plc

("United" or "the Company")

SGE Survey Analysis Update

United Oil & Gas Plc (AIM: UOG), the oil and gas company with a high-impact exploration asset in Jamaica and a development asset in the UK, is pleased to provide an update on the analysis of piston core samples from its recently completed Seabed Geochemical Exploration ("SGE") survey over the Walton-Morant Licence offshore Jamaica.

United has undertaken a geochemical analysis on the 42 piston cores acquired across the Walton-Morant Licence. The analysis has identified C4 and C5 hydrocarbons, including butanes and pentanes, in select piston cores within the headspace gas dataset. United note that these higher order hydrocarbons are not typically associated with biogenic gas systems and are therefore consistent with a potential thermogenic contribution.

There is an established body of evidence for an active petroleum system in Jamaica in general, and on the licence in particular, including repeat satellite slick anomalies, thermogenic hydrocarbon geochemistry from existing onshore and offshore wells, onshore and offshore oil seeps, and onshore surface outcrops. Furthermore, petroleum systems modelling suggests the presence of oil-mature source rocks. The 2026 SGE survey is the first on the licence to be optimally positioned using 3D seismic, multibeam echosounder (MBES) seabed mapping, and satellite-derived slick anomaly data. Taken together, the data are interpreted as consistent with an active petroleum system offshore Jamaica.

United will integrate the results into its geological understanding and risking models, and the dataset will support ongoing technical evaluation and farm-out discussions.

Brian Larkin, CEO of United Oil & Gas, commented:

"The 2026 piston core survey results represent an important step forward in our understanding of the Walton Morant licence. We have identified butane and pentane hydrocarbons in the analysis. These results enhance our understanding of the licence and provide an important input as we advance towards a drilling decision. We look forward to integrating the results into our subsurface work and continuing to progress discussions with interested parties. We believe United's technical evaluation of the licence's potential will support our ongoing farm-out process as we work to advance this world-class licence which contains approximately 7 billion of prospective resources."

Qualified Person Statement

Paul Ryan, who has over 20 years of relevant experience in the oil and gas industry, has reviewed and approved the information contained in this announcement. Paul Ryan is a qualified person as defined in the guidance note for Mining Oil & Gas Companies of the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the Geoscience

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United Oil & Gas completes derisking surveys

Business

March 08 2026

United Oil & Gas completes derisking surveys

1 min read

Rudolph Brown/Photographer

Brian Larkin, CEO, United Oil & Gas during a vessel tour of the R/V Gyre as part of United’s steps to survey the seabed for evidence of a working hydrocarbon system on January 26, 2026.

United Oil & Gas Plc said it completed all three stages of a seabed geochemical survey off the southern coast of Jamaica, a milestone the United Kingdom listed company hopes will attract a deep-pocketed drilling partner to one of the Caribbean’s most tantalising unexplored offshore blocks.

The study aims to improve the prospects of finding oil in commercial quantities offshore the island from one quarter to one third.

The company announced the successful conclusion of its Seabed Geochemical Exploration programme within the Walton Morant Licence, including the retrieval of seabed sediment from all 42 piston coring sites selected during Stage 3. The cores are being shipped to TDI Brooks laboratories in the United States, where geochemical analysis will test for the presence of thermally derived hydrocarbons. Initial results are expected within weeks.

“The recovery of seabed sediment cores at all 42 selected locations is a fantastic achievement,” said Brian Larkin, United’s chief executive. He added that the company would simultaneously press ahead with farm out talks, with the goal of advancing towards “a potentially transformational offshore exploration drilling phase for Jamaica”.

The three-stage programme began with a multibeam “echosounder” survey that gathered 1,189 line kilometres of high resolution seabed mapping data. Stage 2 deployed heat flow probes across both the Walton and Morant basins to inform geological modelling while Stage 3 used the integrated dataset to pinpoint coring locations clustered near high density prospects such as Colibri.

United first entered Jamaica in 2017 when it farmed into the Walton Morant Licence at a 20 per cent stake alongside UK-based Tullow Oil. It has since consolidated to 100 per cent ownership of the block, which spans 22,400 square kilometres and carries an independently audited estimate of at least 2.4 billion barrels of unrisked mean prospective resources, of substances that resemble oil. The surveys sought to identify whether the substances are oil rather than sludge.

The Jamaican Government extended the licence every two years since 2020 – committing United to a programme of technical studies before any well is drilled. Positive geochemical results from the current survey would directly bolster the company’s data room and strengthen its hand in negotiations with potential farm in partners, several of which are already under non-disclosure agreements. The survey aimed to derisk partnering with a company to drill a well, which can cost over US$30 million.

Industry observers have drawn comparisons be

Colibri prospect off S Coast JM worth a punt.