Mazarine Energy Tunisia B.V. and partner Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activités Pétrolières (ETAP) have discovered 38 m (125 ft) of net oil-bearing reservoir in the Cat-1 well in the Zaafrane permit in central Tunisia, Mazarine Energy said in a news release.

The main objective of the well was to test the hydrocarbon potential of the Ordovician El Hamra and El Atchane formations. Extensive logging and sampling proved the El Hamra and El Atchane sands each contain 19 m (62 ft) net pay, the release said. During a production test, the well—constrained by surface facilities—flowed at a rate of 4,300 bbl/d of oil and 395,000 cm/d of natural gas.

Mazarine said the well is the first well in a two-well drilling campaign. The Zaafrane permit spans an area of 5,168 sq km (1,995 sq miles) within a historically prolific oil- and gas producing region, the company added.

Mazarine Energy is the operator of the Zaafrane permit, with ETAP and MEDEX as partners. The well was drilled by Compagnie Tunisienne de Forage (CTF) to a total depth of 3,950 m (12,959 ft), according to the release.