Hess is among the US independent players that have been vocal about a key ongoing role for deep-water and the US Gulf of Mexico, even as many onetime peers switch their focus to shale, most recently Noble Energy.

Chief executive John Hess told the CeraWeek conference earlier this year that the company believes shale resources alone will be unable to meet global energy demand, a key reason for the player’s diversified footprint ranging from the onshore US Bakken shale to developments off Guyana and in the North Malay basin.