US

Shell Oil Co. announced a Norphlet oil discovery at the company’s Dover prospect. The #1 (BP) OCS G33166 is on Mississippi Canyon Block 612. It hit more than 244 m (800 net ft) of pay. The well was drilled to 8,839 m (29,000 ft) and area water depth is about 2,225 m (7,300 ft). The discovery is about 21 km (13 miles) southwest of Shell’s Appomattox semisubmersible facility, which will serve as the hub for much of the new production scheduled to come online in the area.

Colombia

Canacol Energy Ltd. announced results from exploration well #1-Breva in the VIM 21 Block in Colombia’s Lower Magdalena Valley Basin. The venture encountered 8.8 m (29 ft) of net gas pay with average porosity of 27% within the primary Porquero Sandstone reservoir target. It was drilled to 2,304 m (7,560 ft), and a production test is planned. A nearby discovery to the south is #1-Toronja that was completed in mid-2017 and hit approximately 4 m (14 ft) of net gas pay within the Middle Porquero Sandstone reservoir. It was tested flowing 690,931 cu. m/d (24.4 MMcf/d) of gas with no water. The rig will be moved to drill exploration well #1-Borojo-1, which is in the 100% operated Esperanza E&E contract area and will target the gas-bearing reservoirs of Ciénaga de Oro.

Argentina

Echo Energy Plc is underway at the second exploration well in a four-well program on the company’s Laguna de Los Capones concession in Argentina. The program is surrounded by the Fracción C license area. The second exploration well, #1-ELA, is located in the southeastern extent of the license area. The venture is targeting a structural four-way closure at Springhill and Tobifera with a planned depth of about 1,800 m (5,905.5 ft). The gross, unrisked gas initially in place for the structure on a P-mean basis is estimated at about 1.1 Bcm (40 Bcf). Echo is the operator of the Laguna de Los Capones concession and wells (50%) in partnership with Compañia General de Combustibles (50%).

Italy

Po Valley Energy has submitted a production concession application to develop the Selva Malvezzi Field in northern Italy’s Podere Gallina Block. A gas plant is planned at the recently proven Selva gas field with a capacity to produce 150,079 cu. m/d (5.3 MMcf/d) of gas. A recent and nearby completion, #1-Podere Maiar, was tested in Medium-Upper Pliocene C2 sands of Porto Garibaldi with 25.5 net m (83.6 ft) of pay with a peak flow rate of 148,125 cu. m/d (5.231 MMcf/d) of gas. Additional wells could be drilled in the field’s highly prospective Selva East, Selva South Flank and Riccardina prospects. A 3-D seismic shoot is planned (subject to joint venture approval) across these areas in 2018 to 2019. Po Valley is the operator of Selva Field and the block (63%) in partnership with United Oil & Gas (20%) and Prospex Oil & Gas (17%).

Niger

Savannah Petroleum announced an oil discovery at exploration well #1-Amdigh. The well is on the R3 portion of the R3/R4 PSC Area in the Agadem Rift Basin in Niger. Preliminary results based on the interpretation of the available data indicate that the well encountered an estimated 22 m (72 ft) of net oil-bearing reservoir sandstones in the E1 and E2 reservoir units within the primary Eocene Sokor Alternances objective. Wireline logs indicate good-to-excellent reservoir properties and quality with light oil. It was drilled to 2,469 m (8,100 ft), and a production test is planned. Once completed, the rig will move to drill #1-Kunama to evaluate potential oil pay in Sokor Alternances as the primary target, with the secondary target of potential oil pay in the Eocene Upper Sokor.

Namibia

Chariot Oil & Gas is preparing to drill in offshore Namibia’s Prospect S. The prospect has 459 MMbbl gross mean prospective resources, with a further future potential upside of 2.2 Bbbl in other prospects within the Central Blocks license in Namibia. Prospect S is one of five dip-closed structural traps, with 1.758 Bbbl gross mean prospective resources, which have been identified in the Upper Cretaceous turbidite clastic play fairway. Two other higher risk-reward stratigraphic traps have an estimated 885 MMbbl gross mean prospective resources. The company also could drill a second well, depending on the outcome of the currently planned drilling. Chariot is the operator of the Central Blocks license (65%) with partners AziNam (20%), NAMCOR (10%) and Ignitus (5%).

Lebanon

A consortium including Total, Eni and Novatek has received approval for drilling in blocks 4 and 9 in the Lebanese sector of the Mediterranean Sea. Block 9 lies in an area disputed with Israel, but there are no plans to drill in that area. The first well will be in Block 4, and drilling is planned in 2019. A second round of offshore licensing will be later in 2018 or 2019.

Thailand

In the G1/48 Block in the Gulf of Thailand, operator Mubadala Petroleum encountered oil at exploration well #8-Manora. The discovery is producing from the 600 series sands that are the primary producing sands in Manora. The well was targeting a three-way dip closure of the Manora Footwall A Prospect in the upthrown side west of the Manora central block. Secondary objectives included shallower reservoirs also productive in Manora and deeper objectives where oil shows were encountered in well #17-MNA. The #8-Manora was drilled to 2,518 m (8,261 ft). A cement plug is being set to abandon the openhole section and sidetrack the well (#8ST-Manora) to appraise the 300-500 series sand reservoirs above and below the productive #18-MNA, 490-60 oil pool.

Australia

Real Energy Ltd. announced results from the #3-Tamarama well in the Queensland portion of the Cooper-Eromanga Basin in Block ATP927P. The preliminary wireline log interpretation, mud log gas readings and drill cuttings indicated gas-saturated Permian Toolachee and Patchawarra. According to the company, the petrophysical evaluation indicated the well has a combined net pay of 58.9 m (193.2 ft) true vertical thickness with 11.6 m (38 ft) of net sandstone gas pay in Toolachee and 47.3 m (155 ft) of net sandstone gas pay (from gross 130.5 m [428 ft] true vertical thickness) in Patchawarra. The well has been cased and cemented to the total depth of 2,634 m (8,642 ft) and suspended for fracturing. Real Energy is the operator of Block ATP927P and #3-Tamarama with 100% interest.

Australia

Senex Energy Ltd. completed drilling at exploration well #1-Gemba in petroleum exploration license 516 in the South Australia portion of the Cooper Basin. It is located on the southwest margin of the Allunga Trough and was designed to evaluate the gas potential of the low-permeability, intra-Patchawarra Sandstones. The well was drilled to 2,795 m (9,170 ft) with gas shows in the Dullingari group, representing a potential new gas play. The company is developing a fracturing and testing program for the well. Senex is the operator and owns 100%.