DOW JONES NEWSWIRES HOUSTON -(Dow Jones)- Marathon Oil Corp. (MRO) said Monday that first production at Block 31 offshore Angola is expected in the second half of this year. Speaking to analysts at an energy conference, Marathon Chief Financial Officer Janet Clark also said the company and the operator of the project, BP PLC (BP, BP.LN), continue to evaluate other potential developments in the field. Block 31 is expected to reach peak output of 150,000 barrels of oil a day between 2013 and 2014 and Marathon's net production from the field is expected to be 14,000 barrels of oil equivalent, Clark said. In February, the company said the project was likely to start production by midyear. Marathon Oil has 10% interest in the project, while BP holds a 26.67%. Other partners include: Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), Angola's state-owned Sonangol, Norway's Statoil ASA (STO, STL.OS) and Hong Kong-based China Sonangol International. -By Isabel Ordonez, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9207; isabel.ordonez@dowjones.com
