OPINION: It’s been an awfully long five years. But it seems like the US Gulf of Mexico is truly starting to pick up some shine again after the brutal downturn.

The region has played an important role in recent mergers and acquisitions that have energised the sector, such as Murphy’s takeover of assets of Llog Exploration and Llog Bluewater.

It is also certainly part of the reason Chevron, if less so Occidental, is interested in Anadarko.