Statoil Seeks Abu Dhabi Oil, Challenging Exxon, Shell

Statoil ASA, Norway’s biggest oil producer, plans to challenge Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.’s existing partners such as Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc for a role in the United Arab Emirates’ resources.

“We are positioning ourselves for the relicensing rounds in 2014 and 2018, showing Adnoc that they can have added value from us,” Neri Askland, Statoil’s Abu Dhabi and Gulf Cooperation Council country representative, said in an interview in his office yesterday. “We haven’t earmarked any specific field, because we don’t know how they will relicense them.”