Frontier explorer Cairn Energy has laid out plans for an extensive exploration programme this year, involving a total of nine exploration wells including four in the Atlantic Margin.
The quartet of Atlantic Margin probes will be operated by Cairn, with one to be drilled offshore Morocco, two offshore West Africa’s Senegal and one off the west coast of Ireland.
Last April Cairn secured an initial one-year contract for the Cajun Express semisubmersible, which will be used for the Morocco and Senegal wells this year, commencing with a well in the Foum Draa licence area.
Cairn has also indicated its participation in four non-operated wells in the UK North Sea in 2014. Also the company will be involved in two seismic campaigns, offshore Ireland and Greenland.
Announcing details of its 2014 exploration programme in a pre-close update before publishing its full-year results in March, Cairn is currently participating in drilling the Juby Maritime III block offshore Morocco. This will be followed by two further operated wells offshore Senegal in 2014 and one offshore Ireland, on the Spanish Point oil prospect.
Also a non-operated well will be drilled on the Cap Boujdour Contract Area offshore Morocco, operated by Kosmos Energy. Cairn entered the Cap Boujdour area with a 20% farm-in last October. The acreage, 50 km (31 miles) offshore Morocco, covers an area of 27,700 sq km and lies in the Aaiun Basin. Water depths range from 1,000-3,000 m (3,280-9,840 ft).
Four more wells are planned for the North Sea on the Tula prospect (operated by Taqa), on Aragon (operated by MPX), and West Kraken (operated by EnQuest), all in the UK sector, and one well will be drilled on the Atlas prospect in the Norwegian North Sea (operated by RWE).
Further evaluation is planned by Cairn for the Pitu block offshore Greenland this year, where prospective resources are estimated at 3.15 Bboe, and Cairn is also planning a 500 sq km survey over acreage adjacent to Spanish Point offshore Ireland, which lies in Frontier Exploration Licence (FEL) 1/14, which includes both Spanish Point and the Burren oil discovery.
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