Cairn Energy’s latest deepwater exploration well off the coast of Morocco has been plugged and abandoned without testing, but the company says it has three more wells to drill this year and remains undeterred in its ongoing Atlantic Margin exploration campaign.
After drilling the JM-1 well targeting the Cap Juby prospect in Upper Jurassic and Middle Jurassic objectives, Cairn said in a stock exchange statement that the well reached 3,711 m (12,172 ft) total vertical depth subsea and was plugged without testing.
The company said the well confirmed heavy oil over a gross 110 m (360 ft) interval, as originally encountered in a 1968 well – located 2 km (1.25 miles) from the JM-1 well location. But reservoir quality and the oil gravity in the Upper Jurassic section across the Cap Juby structure require further evaluation, it added.
A Middle Jurassic objective was also encountered but with limited porosity. Here, evaluation of well logs and side wall cores continues. Drilling commenced in January on the JM-1 well.
Meanwhile work is underway to correlate the core and log data obtained from JM-1 with other wells drilled in the Cap Juby license to evaluate the extent of moveable hydrocarbons, and how any further assessment should be conducted, the operator stated.
Cairn drilled the JM-1 well in partnership with Genel Energy and Morocco’s ONHYM – the Office National Des Hydrocarbures et Des Mines.