Aussie independent Karoon Gas Australia will soon spud a key appraisal well on its deepwater Kangaroo discovery offshore Brazil.

The company said it has received possession of the Olinda Star (pictured) semisubmersible drilling rig from Petrobras, with the unit expected to be on location in the Santos Basin running anchors in the next few days. The rig is expected to spud the Kangaroo-2 appraisal well during the second week of November in around 400 m (1,312 ft) of water.

The well is planned to investigate the size of the Kangaroo discovery’s oil column, the presence and size of a possible gas cap, reservoir continuity and properties, and flow rates. After this the operator will be able to assess the potential commerciality of the field, and the basis for the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) stage of the project.

The Kangaroo-2 appraisal will be located approximately 300 m (984 ft) updip of the Kangaroo-1 well and will test the thick reservoir sequence observed in all surrounding wells. It is anticipated that a 350 m (1,148 ft) plus gross hydrocarbon column will be intersected by this well.

Karoon is planning up to four wells (two firm plus two options) in its appraisal and exploration drilling campaign using the Olinda Star, owned by Brazilian contractor Queiroz Galvao. Karoon has a 65% stake as operator in the Santos Basin blocks S-M-1037, S-M-1101, S-M-1102, S-M-1165 and S-M-1166.

The next well in the program is expected to be the Kangaroo West-1 exploration well, targeting a net unrisked prospective resource of 330 MMbbl. Due to the large size and proximity to Kangaroo, a successful outcome at Kangaroo West-1 would mat­erially add to any possible development of the Kangaroo oil field, says Karoon. Kangaroo West-1 is located on the western flank of the same salt structure as Kangaroo-1.