Top 10 bidders in the central Gulf lease sale

The top 10 companies based on the total of high bids submitted in last Wednesday’s sale of federal offshore leases off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama:

1. Shell Offshore Inc., 69 bids totaling $554.6 million.

2. Chevron USA Inc., 44 bids totaling $283.4 million.

3. Marathon Oil Co., 27 bids totaling $221.7 million.

4. Cobalt International Energy LP, 53 bids totaling $211.3 million.

5. Murphy Exploration and Production Co., 26 bids totaling $161.1 million.

6. BHP Billiton Petroleum Inc., 14 bids totaling $140.2 million.

7. ConocoPhillips Co., 6 bids totaling $122.5 million.

8. Nexen Petroleum Offshore USA Inc., 30 bids totaling $113.6 million.

9. Petrobas America Inc., 26 bids totaling $108.1 million.

10. BP Exploration & Production Inc., 83 bids totaling $107.1 million.

Source: Minerals Management Service