United Oil & Gas Plc has confirmed the presence of oil indicators on the seabed floor offshore Jamaica following a recent survey.

“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,” said Brian Larkin, CEO of United Oil & Gas. “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 seven billion of prospective resources.”

The company holds the Walton-Morant Licence – a roughly 22,000-square-kilometre exploration zone running along Jamaica’s southern coast – and recently concluded the analysis of 42 piston cores acquired during its 2026 Seabed Geochemical Exploration survey. The identified hydrocarbons include butanes and pentanes, classified as C4 and C5 hydrocarbons, which are not typically associated with biogenic gas systems.

Their presence, the company said, is “consistent with a potential thermogenic contribution” – meaning the hydrocarbons likely originated from heat-processed organic matter buried deep in the earth, the same process that generates commercial oil and gas deposits.

The result adds a fresh data point to an already suggestive body of evidence. United previously noted that the licence area has recorded repeated slick anomalies. It also conducted 2D and 3D modelling of the area. The 2026 survey collected samples from the ocean and seabed floor for lab testing.

Jamaica’s offshore geology has drawn comparisons to the prolific Guyana-Suriname basin, where ExxonMobil and partners have made a string of major discoveries. However, the dark, oil-like substances observed in Jamaican waters were untested, and scientists have cautioned they could prove to be non-commercial sludge rather than recoverable crude — underscoring the importance of the current survey work.

business@gleanerjm.com

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Jamaica's search for oil has always felt like a tease: decades of promising signs but no full breakthrough. Oil has remained elusive for over 60 years.

Geologists sometimes refer to this phenomenon as "geological teasing": the island consistently unveils clues indicating the presence of a significant resource beneath its waters, yet the actual prize has always eluded capture. 

Unlike places like the Gulf of Mexico, where oil flows daily, Jamaica’s track record is built on hints​, gas seeps, waxy residues, and traces of what’s known as “dead oil,” all pointing to a much larger system below the seafloor. Most of this evidence focuses on the Walton-Morant Basin. 

For years, seismic surveys showed strange blurred patches​, signals that didn’t quite match solid rock. In April 2026, a seabed survey conducted by United Oil & Gas provided crucial insights. 

By driving core samples into the ocean floor and pulling up sediment, researchers found hydrocarbons formed deep within the Earth under intense heat and pressure. These gases weren't shallow and plant-based; they originated from deep within the Earth, indicating that oil and gas are actively migrating upward through the crust.

Some of the signs are even visible from space. Satellite images have picked up recurring oil slicks above an area known as the Colibri prospect. These aren’t spills from ships or rigs; they’re natural leaks, where hydrocarbons slip through cracks and reach the ocean’s surface. 

Closer to shore, places like Blower Rock show similar activity, with oil visibly seeping into the water. For explorers, these leaks are the clearest signal yet: something underground is generating and releasing hydrocarbons right now.

Past drilling efforts add to the picture. Out of 11 wells drilled over the years, many encountered what the industry calls “oil shows," traces like asphalt staining or thick, degraded oil trapped in rock. 

This “dead oil” isn’t commercially useful anymore, but it is relevant for one key reason: it proves that oil once flowed through those layers.

One of the greatest obstacles has been geology itself. 

Jamaica is covered by a thick cap of limestone, sometimes called a carbonate shield, which has long made it difficult to see what lies beneath using older imaging methods. But newer 3D seismic technology has started to cut through that barrier, revealing large, deeper structures formed during the Cretaceous period. These formations could act as traps where oil accumulates, and early estimates suggest they might hold billions of barrels.

Taken together, the evidence forms a kind of patchwork of chemical traces, seismic signals, and physical samples​, all pointing to an active petroleum system. 

In simple terms, Jamaica has plenty of “smoke”: gas seeps, oil traces, and hydrocarbon-rich sediments. What it hasn’t yet found is the "fire," a well that produces oil in commercial quantities. The hope is that, this time, the clues finally lead to a reservoir that can actually flow. The cost of a drilling rig is approx. 400,000 US dollars per day.

Sarge