As a long suffering PVD shareholder/gambler, needing the current price to quintuple just to break even after the disappointment in the drilling off Morocco and the fiasco of Gabon, I was interested in PVD's acquisition into Jacka.
Part speculation and part stirring up the pot because there is no info coming from PVD, why would PVD want JKA? Genel Energy acquired and has/is processing the imaging for Somaliland (or Somalia if you prefer) and has announced they abandoned Morocco (Sid Moussa and Mir) and looking to Somaliland as their next frontier, expanding their base from Kurdistan (give them credit for taking on risky areas). The articles I saw online indicated a possible first well in late 2019. They have fulfilled the requirements for the soon expiring third period of the PSC.
As I understand it, JKA has the options to get 5% equity in the operation in Somaliland (Odewayne blocks) from previous deals with Petrosoma (16% owner, with Genel at 50% and Sterling at 34%), however, this is only after either in the 4th period that a second well is proposed, meaning the first one went really great, or, the parties enter a fifth period of he PSC.
With JKA's only asset being the Somaliland option, and realistically two years out best case, shareholder money will be locked up for quite some time. Question #1 - why wouldn't PVD wait until the last days remaining before JKA gets delisted to scoop up much more of the stock at bargain prices? Question #2 - Why would PVD bet so strongly on JKA (currently getting 20%, rounding up, of JKA's 5% option only after a second well occurs) - Would they have inferred something from Sterling from Genel that drilling was coming soon and the imaging looks great? (Note Sterling was also tied to PVD on their Madagascar block, which Sterling pulled out from in 2016 after seeing the advanced 3D imaging). And Question #3 - with Sterling's only asset appearing to be the 34% interest in Somaliland Odewayne, why would I as an individual investor try to scoop up any of JKA and their 5% option, versus buying Sterling's stock (34% ownership from the first well) if I truly believed in the promise of the Odewayne field, political risks aside?
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