A rare note of disappointment has emerged from Africa’s east coast, one of the most prolific areas for deepwater discoveries over the past several years, where Ophir Energy confirmed one small gas find and a duster.

The operator’s Tende-1 well was drilled in the East Pande block using the Deepsea Metro I drillship, and although gas traces were encountered in the upper strata of the primary objective, wireline logs confirmed no moveable hydrocarbons were present. The well was drilled in a water depth of 781 m (2,562 ft) to a total depth of 4,153 m (13,626 ft) targeting the Cretaceous-aged prospect.

In the secondary Tikiti objective, the well hit a gas-bearing sandstone. Ophir says it will evaluate the wider impact of this find as it integrates the well results into its understanding of the remaining prospects in the East Pande block.

Following Tende-1, the drillship moved to Block 7 where the Mkuki-1 wildcat was drilled to a total depth of 3,204 m (10,512 ft). The well targeted a Tertiary-aged stratigraphic prospect in a water depth of 1,648 m (5,407 ft) and encountered a high quality sandstone sequence, but no hydrocarbons were present.