Murphy Oil Faces Boycott Call Over Israeli Zone G Licenses
Murphy Oil now operates six Israeli offshore licenses with Ratio, and activists want them back. No drilling plan is public.
Murphy Oil's takeover of Zone G operatorship drew a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement call on Wednesday 11 November to give up the six licenses, but no market effect is evident. Murphy Oil and Ratio Energies hold them 50-50, reportedly covering about 1,700 square kilometers; no drilling plan is public in the sources reviewed.
The Gulf Barrel Desk · 3 min read- OilPrice.com reports that Murphy Oil holds six Zone G exploration licenses 50-50 with Ratio Energies and is the operator.
- OilPrice.com puts the acreage at about 1,700 square kilometers near Leviathan; Offshore Engineer places it roughly 25 kilometers southwest of the field.
- The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement called on Murphy on Wednesday 11 November to give up the licenses, per OilPrice.com; Murphy's response is not in the sources reviewed.
- OilPrice.com says Eni withdrew earlier this year, and that the Energy Ministry announced Dana Petroleum's exit; a Dana return is only reported by Israeli media, pending regulatory approval.
- No drilling schedule, well count or volume estimate is in the sources reviewed, so there is no supply or price effect to size.
Murphy Oil, the Houston-based company that took over the Zone G licenses on Monday 9 November, was asked on Wednesday 11 November by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to give them up, OilPrice.com reports. The licenses are exploration acreage near Israel's Leviathan gas field, not producing assets. No drilling plan appears in the sources reviewed, so there is no supply or price effect to size. This is analysis, not advice.
What changed in Zone G
OilPrice.com reports that Murphy holds six Zone G exploration licenses 50-50 with Israel's Ratio Energies and is the operator, covering about 1,700 square kilometers of seabed near Leviathan. Offshore Engineer separately describes the acreage as roughly 25 kilometers southwest of Leviathan and frames it as Murphy's entry into the Eastern Mediterranean. Both figures are as reported by those outlets; we have not checked them against a license document.
How the operator changed
OilPrice.com says Israel awarded Zone G in October 2023 and that Eni, an original awardee, withdrew earlier this year. It also says the Energy Ministry announced Dana Petroleum's exit. Israeli media, the outlet adds, have reported that Dana could return, pending regulatory approval. That is a report, not a confirmed decision. Murphy's takeover is dated to Monday 9 November in the same account.
Why the boycott call matters
The campaign has a precedent in this block: OilPrice.com says the same activists pressured Eni and Dana to quit the venture. The outlet also reports that part of Zone G overlaps boundaries Palestine has declared, which gives the campaign its stated ground. It gives no percentage for the overlap. Whether Murphy responds as Eni did is unknown; no Murphy statement appears in the sources reviewed.
What the data does not say
No source reviewed gives a drilling date, a well count, a resource estimate or a capital commitment for Zone G. Exploration licenses are not reserves, and acreage near Leviathan does not imply a discovery. A boycott call alone does not move gas or oil prices. Watch for Murphy's formal response, any regulatory decision on Dana, and an announced work program.
- Who holds the Zone G licenses now?
- OilPrice.com reports that Murphy Oil and Israel's Ratio Energies hold the six licenses 50-50, with Murphy as operator. Eni withdrew earlier this year, and the Energy Ministry announced Dana Petroleum's exit. Israeli media have reported Dana may return, pending regulatory approval; that is unconfirmed.
- Does the boycott call affect gas supply or prices?
- Not on the evidence available. The call is a pressure campaign aimed at a company holding exploration acreage. The sources reviewed give no drilling timeline or resource estimate for Zone G, so any supply effect is unquantified. This is analysis, not advice.
- Why is Zone G contested?
- OilPrice.com reports that part of Zone G overlaps maritime boundaries Palestine has declared. The sources reviewed give no percentage for the overlap, and we have not independently measured it. The overlap is the stated ground for the activist campaign.