PACIFIC RIM

Eni meets success in Kutei basin

Italy's Eni has hit gas with its latest well in the Kutei basin east of Kalimantan. The Jangkrik NE structure in the Muara Bakau block is 15 km (9 miles) from the Jangkrik field and approximately 70 km (44 miles) offshore Indonesia. The well was drilled to 3,633 m (11,920 ft) TD in 460 m (1,509 ft) water depth. The well hit a reservoir with more than 60 m (197 ft) of net gas pay in excellent quality Pliocene and Miocene age reservoir sands. During a production test the well produced high-quality gas at a tubing-constrained rate of 30.6 MMcf/d.

Eni, through its Indonesian subsidiary, is the operator of the Muara Bakau production-sharing contract with a 55% interest; GDF Suez holds the remaining interest. (Image courtesy of Eni SpA)

Lundin finds gas in second Malaysia well

Sweden's Lundin Petroleum has reported a second gas discovery offshore Sabah, East Malaysia, with the company's Cempulut-1 well in Block SB303. The well was drilled to a total depth (TD) of 1,095 m (3,593 ft) by Seadrill's Offshore Courageous jackup rig in 75 m (246 ft) water depth. According to Lundin, Cempulut-1 intersected a large Late Miocene carbonate reef with excellent properties. The gross total vertical pay thickness encountered was approximately 50 m (164 ft); however, the deeper targeted oil leg proved to be water-bearing. The discovery is the third in the contract area, which also contains the TitikTerang discovery.

EUROPE

Seismic surveyors set sights on Faroe-Shetland basin

TGS and partner PGS have started a new multiclient 3-D survey in the offshore UK Faroe-Shetland basin covering 2,500 sq km (965 sq miles) west of the British Isles over quads 6004, 204, and 205. The seismic data are being acquired by the PGS Ramform Viking vessel towing 12 6,000-m (19,685-ft) streamers with 75 m (246 ft) separation using PGS's GeoStreamer technology. Data acquisition will continue through 3Q 2011. According to TGS, the vessel will return in 2012 to complete the survey.

Lundin advances on Avaldsnes

Lundin Norway has acquired a comprehensive data acquisition and sampling program from a sidetrack well from the first appraisal well 16/3-4 on the Avaldsnes discovery in PL501 on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The sidetrack well results showed good lateral continuity of the reservoir with a proved oil column in excess of 4 m (13 ft) with excellent quality sands. The Fred.Olsen Energy Bredford Dolphin semisubmersible drilling rig drilled the well to a vertical depth of 1,934 m (6,345).

Greenland wildcat abandoned

Cairn Energy has confirmed that plugging and abandoning operations on its latest wildcat offshore Greenland are under way. The UK explorer said the LF7-1 well in the Lady Franklin Block in the South Ungavva Area reached target depth in basement strata. The well was drilled in 1,002 m (3,288 ft) water depth by the Ocean Rig Corcovado drillship 300 km (186 miles) offshore Nuuk, encountering a thick Upper Cretaceous section with tight (cemented) sandstones. Initial geochemical analysis of the background gas composition indicates the presence of pre-Tertiary, oil-prone source rocks in the basin.

AFRICA

Ophir drills duster on Kora

Ophir Energy's frontier wildcat in the ultra-deep AGC Profond area offshore Senegal-Guinea Bissau has turned up dry. Kora-1 was drilled by the Maersk Deliverer semi-submersible in 2,600 m (8,531 ft) water to 4,447 m (14,591 ft) TD targeting a salt-cored, dip-closed anticline. The well will be plugged and abandoned.

Constructed in 2010, the Maersk Deliverer ultra-deepwater semi-submersible rig is now scheduled to drill two wells for African Petroleum offshore Liberia. (Image courtesy of Maersk Drilling)

Eni makes fresh Ghana find

Eni is planning a delineation program and a potential floating LNG project following a hydrocarbon discovery offshore Ghana. The Gye Nyame 1 well on the OCTP block was drilled in 519 m (1,703 ft) water depth to 3,349 m (10,988 ft) TD. The well encountered significant thickness of gas and condensate sands with excellent reservoir characteristics, according to Eni, with oil mineralization also discovered in the underlying sands. A delineation program will further assess its potential.

CENTRAL ASIA

Jubilant all smiles over Deen Dayal East

Jubilant Energy has confirmed the results of appraisal well DDE-APP-1 in the Deen Dayal East field in the KG Block offshore India. Operator GSPC drilled the well with the objective of appraising the hydrocarbon-bearing sands of the KG-16 discovery well and, in the process, testing the Cretaceous and Jurassic Rift Fill and younger sandstones that were found to be productive in other wells on the Deen Dayal structural complex. The well was drilled to 5,621 m (18,442 ft) measured depth (MD) and encountered basement at 5,530 m (18,143 ft). The first of two drillstem tests (DSTs) flowed water at an average rate of 1,500 b/d and carbon dioxide ranging from 20% to 28%. The second DST, undertaken in a shallower section, flowed gas at 0.73 MMcf/d with condensate at 60 b/d from a 12/ 64 -in. choke.

Max hits oil in Kazakhstan

Max Petroleum's UTS-2 well in the Uytas field onshore Kazakhstan has hit 12 m (39 ft) of net oil pay after reaching 820 m (2,690 ft) TD. The company identified an additional 6 m (20 ft) of net oil pay in Jurassic reservoirs at depths of approximately 350 m (1,148 ft). Significant oil shows were recorded from depths of 36 m to 150 m (118 ft to 492 ft), which appear to confirm the oil column seen in the UTS-1 discovery well. Max has extensively cored the UTS-2 well over the interval from 39 m to 160 m (128 ft to 525 ft) to allow further study of reservoir properties within this vertical column. Results from the coring analysis are expected by early 4Q 2011.

NORTH AMERICA

BOEMRE completes final SEIS for Western GoM sale

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) has released its final supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the proposed Lease Sale 218 in the Western Planning Area in the Gulf of Mexico. According to BOEMRE, this is the last remaining Western Gulf planning area sale scheduled in the 2007-2012 Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing program. Director Michael Bromwich said the SEIS includes new research following last year's Deepwater Horizon incident, which delayed the sale.

Shell gets conditional go-ahead for Beaufort sea

BOEMRE has issued conditional approval for a revised exploration plan (EP) submitted by Shell Offshore in May 2011 outlining a proposal to drill up to four shallow-water exploration wells in Alaska's Beaufort Sea beginning July 2012.

MIDDLE EAST

Iraq qualifies 41 companies for licenses

The Iraqi Oil Ministry has shortlisted 41 international oil companies to bid on 12 exploration blocks in a licensing auction to be held in January 2012. Fifty companies had submitted applications. Among the eligible participants are BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Mubadala Oil & Gas of the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait Energy. This will be Iraq's fourth licensing round in the past two years.

Early production from the Karan gas field is expected to average more than 400 MMcf/d. (Image courtesy of Saudi Aramco)

Saudi Aramco brings Karan online

Saudi Aramco has reported first gas from Karan, the first nonassociated gas field in Saudi territorial waters in the Arabian Gulf. First gas started in early July 2011. Early production is expected to average more than 400 MMscf/d. Karan's offshore facilities consist of five production platform complexes connected to a main tie-in platform. At press time, drilling was under way on 14 more wells, with four remaining to be drilled. By 2013, the field is expected to be online at full production capacity of 1.8 Bscf/d.

Apache ups ante in Egypt's Western Desert

Apache Corp. has made two oil discoveries in its Faghur Basin play in Egypt's Western Desert. A test of the Jurassic Safa sand in the Faghur Deep-1X flowed at a rate of 6,671 b/d of oil and 2.76 MMcf/d of gas. The Neilos-1X discovery on the Neith South development lease test flowed at a rate of 4,179 b/d and 4.2 MMcf/d from the Jurassic Safa formation. The well also encountered two Alam El Bueib (AEB) Cretaceous pay sands that were not tested.

SOUTH AMERICA

Baker Hughes fracs Argentina's first shale well

Baker Hughes has confirmed the first unconventional hydrocarbon shale hydraulic fracturing and stimulation project in Argentina for YPF in the Neuqu?n basin has been completed. The company also provided coiled tubing services for the project.

OGX spies hydrocarbons in BM-C-41

OGX has identified the presence of hydrocarbons in the Santonian and Albian sections of well 1-OGX-52-RJS in the shallow-water BM-C-41 block in the Campos basin. OGX holds a 100% working interest in the well. The new discovery near the Waimea accumulation tested Albian calcarenites in a deeper position completely independent of the prior discovery, OGX general executive and exploration officer Paulo Mendon?a said. A hydrocarbon column of approximately 12 m (39 ft) was encountered in the sandstone reservoirs of the Santonian section with about 5 m (16 ft) of net pay. A hydrocarbon column of approximately 174 m (570 ft) also was encountered in carbonates of the Albian section with around 96 m (314 ft) of net pay. The OGX-52 well, known as Tambora, is situated 93 km (58 miles) off Rio de Janeiro in approximately 130 m (426 ft) water depth.

Petrobras firms up Guar? South

Petrobras has finished drilling the second extension well in the deepwater Guar? area in the Santos basin offshore Brazil. The Guar? South well was drilled 6 km (4 miles) south of the discovery well in 2,156 m (7,074 ft) water depth 315 km (196 miles) off the coast of S?o Paulo state. Preliminary analyses confirm satisfactory conditions of the reservoir and its lateral continuity, Petrobras said. Wireline tests in the presalt reservoirs demonstrated the presence of light oil around 27°API. Formation tests still have to be executed to assess the reservoir's productivity.