French energy group Total said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Oman to develop natural gas resources in the country.

"Total and Shell as operator will develop several natural gas discoveries located in the Greater Barik area on onshore Block 6 with respective shares of 25 percent and 75 percent, as per the agreement between both companies and before possible State back-in, with the objective of an initial gas production of around 500 MMcfd and a potential to reach 1 bcf/d at a later stage," Total said in a press release on Sunday.

"Total will use its equity gas entitlement as feedstock to develop in Oman a regional hub for liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering service to supply LNG as a fuel to marine vessels. This will be achieved thanks to a new small-scale modular liquefaction plant to be built in Sohar port. The plant will comprise a train of around 1 Mt per year and will offer the flexibility for expansion as required by the development of the LNG bunkering market."