Just last week, it became apparent that Royal Dutch Shell
I didn't expect immediate verification of my thoughts, but Shell provided it anyway.
As the week came to a close, the company, along with Canada's Nexen
The Mississippi Canyon lies in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico and therefore remains relatively unexplored. The Shell discovery was drilled in slightly more than 7,000 feet of water to a depth in excess of 25,000 feet below the seabed. It is expected to contain a minimum of 100 million barrels of oil, enough that its development likely will involve its inclusion in a hub with other nearby discoveries by the same partners.
The Appomattox discovery isn't all that Shell has to brag about in the area. It also turns out that the company, with the aid of Statoil
Other members of Big Oil -- including BP
My feeling is that much of the significance of Shell's successes involves its location in the eastern Gulf, an area that should produce other significant discoveries in the years ahead. As such, I'm happy to repeat my recommendation of last week that Fools watch Shell very, very carefully.