W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: WTI) has made a new discovery at Ewing Banks 910 and marked first production from the SS #6 well at Mississippi Canyon 538 field (Medusa), both in the deep water of the Gulf of Mexico, according to a news release.

W&T made the new discovery at Ewing Banks 910 with the successful drilling and evaluation of the Ewing Banks 910 A-5 ST well. The company logged 160 feet of gross hydrocarbon interval and is completing the well. W&T said it expects recovery from the well to exceed pre-drill estimates, and the well could be online and flowing by the end of the second quarter.

The company has a 50% working interest in this well.

The next well to be drilled at Ewing Banks 910 will be the A-8 exploration well, which based on seismic data, is estimated to be a significantly larger reserve target than the recently successful A-5 ST well, W&T said in the release. The company has additional drilling locations in the area as a result of its ongoing geological and geophysical review of new WAZ seismic data.

W&T also announced that the recently drilled Medusa SS #6 well has been completed and achieved first production flowing at a gross rate of about 8,000 barrels of oil and 6 MMcf of natural gas for a combined total rate of 9,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d). A second extension well at Medusa, the SS #7 well, is currently being completed. W&T has a 15% working interest in the Medusa Field.

In other parts of the GoM, the company reported that progress is being made toward bringing the Mississippi Canyon 698’s Big Bend and Mississippi Canyon 782’s Dantzler fields online. Three vessels are in the field, with one performing umbilical installation work, one conducting sea trials before the pipeline system is installed and another serving as a flotel for the preparation of the topside facilities at Thunderhawk, the host platform.

Production from Big Bend is expected to commence in fourth-quarter 2015, while production from Dantzler is now expected to commence near the end of 2015. This is slightly ahead of prior scheduling, W&T said in the release. The anticipated combined rate from Big Bend and Dantzler is expected to reach in excess of 8,000 boe/d, net to the company’s 20% working interest (81% oil).

Offshore