USA: ATP Gets Green Light to Resume Gulf of Mexico Drilling

ATP Oil & Gas Corporation announced that it has received a permit to resume drilling the Mississippi Canyon (“MC”) Block 941 #4 well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

“This permit for the ATP Titan drilling and production platform is the first for a stationary deepwater facility since deepwater drilling was allowed to resume on February 28, 2011. The previous two permits to drill oil and gas wells approved by BOEMRE in 2011, both of them in the last 18 days, are for wells drilled by Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODU),” stated T. Paul Bulmahn, ATP’s Chairman and CEO. “We are ready and eager to return to work. ATP has always drilled safely and environmentally soundly. We are looking forward to delivering on our objectives to generate near-term production growth from these developments.”

The MC 941 #4 well at ATP’s Telemark Hub in 4,000 feet of water was drilled to approximately 12,000 feet and cased during 2009. Operations to finalize drilling and completion will begin within the next 24 hours. ATP operates the deepwater Telemark Hub with a 100% working interest and owns 100% of the subsidiary that owns the ATP Titan and associated pipelines and infrastructure.

About ATP Oil & Gas Corporation

ATP Oil & Gas is an international offshore oil and gas development and production company focused in the Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea and North Sea. The company trades publicly as ATPG on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

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Source: ATP OIL & GAS, March 20, 2011;