International firms exploring for oil in East Africa are bringing in new partners and raising more capital.

Ophir Energy has started the process of identifying a partner to drill oil and gas wells along the coast of East Africa, while Vanoil Energy plans to raise at least $30 million to fund exploration in Kenya.

Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Ophir aims to have a strategic partner ahead of its 2013 drilling programme in offshore exploration areas L9 and L15 in Kenya, and deep sea acreages 1, 3, 4, 7 and East Pande in Tanzania.

Chief executive officer Nick Cooper said details of the 2012- 2013 drilling plan will be provided on October 23.

In the past three years, East Africa has attracted millions of dollars in foreign investments for oil, gas and mineral exploration. As the prospects brighten, explorers are seeking finances to import drilling machinery.

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“Ophir continues to invest in the rest of its East African portfolio where seven seismic data sets are being acquired this year to de-risk exploration areas L9, L15, 7 and East Pande,” Mr Cooper said.

A three-dimensional seismic survey will be carried out to map potential oil and gas depots in acreages L9 and L15 in Kenya, and 7 in Tanzania.

The survey is a method of exploration geophysics that uses the principles of seismology to estimate the properties of the Earth’s subsurface from reflected seismic waves. It is used by geologists and geophysicists to map and interpret potential petroleum reservoirs.

The firm is interpreting a recently acquired 3D survey in East Pande exploration areas.

Ophir’s management estimates that natural gas resources discovered in acreages 1, 3 and 4 in Tanzania of 380 to 600 billion cubic metres meet the threshold for natural gas development.

Vanoil Energy plans to spend $4 million to $4.5 million, out of $30 million raised this year, to complete 100 square kilometres of 3D seismic survey in exploration area 3A and 3B in north eastern Kenya.

The Canadian firm will spend the rest of the money to drill two wells in acreage 3A and 3B covering 24,682 square kilometres. Vanoil is preparing to sink the first well in the first quarter of 2013 to a depth of 3,500 to 4,000 metres.

“The combined unrisked potential in place of top leads (features of interest that provide basic evidence of hydrocarbon potential) totals approximately 3.6 billion of oil equivalent. The leads are similar in size, depth and nature to those drilled in the Melut basins of South Sudan,” said Vanoil’s presentation.

In June, the company announced that it had received a seven month extension on its production sharing contract from Kenya’s Ministry of Energy. The extension is from September 30 to April 30, 2013.

It also provides enough time for the firm’s consultants to audit available drill rigs, and complete site preparation and material mobilisation prior to well drilling in January 2013.

In October, ERHC Energy Inc will seek shareholders’ consent to increase its shares from 950 million to 3 billion to finance exploration in 11A acreage covering 11,950 square kilometres in northwestern Kenya.

ERHC’s chief executive officer, Peter Ntephe, said the firm is building on past successes to grow its exploration acreages and build shareholder value.

“Competition for exploration acreages in Kenya is currently high, and ERHC has been awarded the rights to explore one of the highly prospective areas,” he said.

To increase capital availability and financial flexibility, the board of directors in August approved a resolution to increase the number of shares.  ERHC will likely issue equity to shareholders to raise the funds for its exploration programmes.

The firm’s portfolio of oil and gas assets includes deepwater interests in the Gulf of Guinea and onshore in Chad. ERHC’s 11A acreage is in the vicinity of exploration area 10BB where oil was discovered in Ngamia-1 well recently.