Enterprise Oil, which has discovered gas in the Corrib field 50 miles off the Belmullet, Co Mayo coastline, has reported a 4 per cent rise in first-half pre-tax profits. They rose to £476 million sterling (€775 million) in the six months ended June 30th, 2001 from £457 million a year earlier.

The oil group said it had made substantial progress on operated projects in the Republic and Brazil as well as on non-operated ventures in Britain, Norway and the US Gulf of Mexico in the first half.