AFRICA

Lukoil hits oil in Ghana’s Cape Three Points

OAO Lukoil has made a discovery at Ghana’s offshore Cape Three Points project, according to a person with direct knowledge of the development. The company has 90 days to evaluate the find and decide what the next step is, said the person. Ghana and its partners plan to spend $20 billion in the next decade to boost oil production to 500,000 bbl/d from about 100,000 bbl/d now. If commercially viable, the Lukoil find would be Ghana’s fifth planned offshore field.

Well test supports hub potential offshore Tanzania

The results from a recently completed second drillstem test (DST) on the Mzia discovery in Block 1 offshore southern Tanzania provided further support for a hub development to supply a potential onshore LNG project, BG Group Plc said in a press release. The DST on the Mzia-3 appraisal well was drilled in about 1,800 m (5,906 ft) of water about 6 km (3.7 miles) north of the original Mzia-1 discovery and included sustained gas production at a maximum flow rate of about 17,000 boe/d. Mzia, discovered in 2012, is a multilayered field of Upper Cretaceous age with a gross gas column in excess of 300 m (984 ft).

ASIA-PACIFIC

Shell finds gas in deepwater Malaysia

Shell made a gas discovery in Malaysia at the Shell-operated deepwater Marjoram-1 well, the company said. The Marjoram-1 well is located 180 km (112 miles) off the Malaysia coast in Block SK318 in 800 m (2,625 ft) of water. Earlier this year Shell made the Rosmari-1 gas discovery, also in this block. Block SK318 is operated by Shell with an 85% interest with the remaining 15% held by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd.

CNOOC starts production at Wenchang oil field

CNOOC Ltd.’s Wenchang 13-6 oil field has commenced production, the company said in a news release. Wenchang 13-6 is located in the west of Pearl River Mouth Basin in China with an average water depth of about 120 m (394 ft) and is part of the Wenchang oil fields, sharing the existing adjacent facilities for the development. The main production facilities include one wellhead platform and 12 producing wells. There are currently five wells producing about 1,300 bbl/d.

AUSTRALIA

Santos discovers condensate in Browse Basin

Santos made a significant gas condensate discovery at the Lasseter-1 exploration well in WA-274-P located in the Browse Basin offshore Western Australia, the company said in a press release. The Lasseter-1 well is located about 35 km (22 miles) east-southeast of Santos’ Crown discovery and 480 km (298 miles) north-northeast of Broome, Australia. The water depth at location is 404 m (1,325 ft). The well intersected a gross gas condensate-bearing interval of 405 m (1,329 ft). Wireline logging to date has confirmed 78 m (256 ft) of net pay over the Jurassic-aged Lower Vulcan and Plover intervals.

Apache makes first Canning Basin discovery

Apache Corp. has made an oil discovery at the Phoenix South-1 well—the company’s first discovery in Australia’s offshore Canning Basin, the company said in a press release. Wireline and formation pressure tools have confirmed at least four discrete oil columns ranging in thickness from 26 m to 46 m (85 ft to 151 ft) in the Triassic Lower Keraudren Formation. Permeability measurements from the sampled zones indicate a productive oil reservoir with preliminary oil-in-place estimates as high as 300 MMbbl. The Phoenix South-1 well is located in permit WA-435-P offshore western Australia 180 km (110 miles) north of Port Hedland in 133 m (435 ft) of water.

SOUTH AMERICA

YPF discovers gas, oil in Santa Cruz

YPF made a discovery of gas and conventional oil in Los Perales–Las Mesetas Field in Santa Cruz located in Patagonia, Argentina, a press release said. The discovery has a potential of 200 Mcm/d (7.1 MMcf/d) of gas and 370 bbl/d of oil. The discovery was made in well YPF.SC.LM.xp-778, which reached a final depth of 2,770 m (9,088 ft).

Jupiter well proves extension of Santos presalt find

Petrobras has confirmed the extension of the Jupiter discovery in Santos Basin presalt block BM-S-24 off the coast of Rio de Janeiro following drilling operations at well 3-BRSA-1246-RJS (3-RJS-732), informally known as Apollonia, the company said in a news release. This well is the fourth well drilled in the Jupiter Field. Drilling activities have confirmed a hydrocarbon column of about 313 m (1,027 ft), starting at a depth of 5,166 m (16,949 ft), with rocks showing good porosity and permeability conditions, the release said. Besides the gas cap and condensate, the well verified an oil column of some 87 m (285 ft) thick.

GULF OF MEXICO

Noble confirms drilling results in GoM

Final well results at the Katmai exploration well and the Dantzler appraisal well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GoM) showed additional pay at Katmai and increased resources at Dantzler, Noble Energy Inc. said in a press release. At Katmai, wireline logging data indicate a total of 47 m (154 ft) net of crude oil pay was discovered in multiple reservoirs. Total gross resources at Katmai are now estimated at between 40 MMboe and 100 MMboe. The Dantzler-2 appraisal well, located in Mississippi Canyon 782 in the GoM, encountered 37 m (122 ft) net of crude oil pay in two high-quality Miocene reservoirs. Gross resources at Dantzler have increased to between 65 MMboe and 100 MMboe.

EUROPE

Lundin confirms oil column in Luno II

Lundin Petroleum AB, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS, has successfully completed drilling of appraisal well 16/4-8 S in the Luno II discovery. The discovery is located about 15 km (9.3 miles) south of the Edvard Grieg Field in the North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The well was drilled 4 km (2.5 miles) southeast of the Luno II discovery well. The well encountered about 500 m (1,640 ft) of gross sandstone section of Jurassic/Triassic age. A gross oil column of 30 m (98 ft) has been proven, underlying a thin gas cap. The pressure data indicate a barrier toward the discovery well 16/4-6 S.

Statoil shuts down Huldra production

Statoil is terminating production from Huldra, making it the first gravity-based Statoil-operated installation in the North Sea to be shut down permanently, the company said in a press release. The platform has produced gas and condensate for six extra years compared to the original plan. The Huldra Field (PL051/052) came onstream Nov. 21, 2001, and has a recovery rate of 80%. The Huldra cessation project has considered the possibility of reusing the platform instead of scrapping it, and the platform was therefore put up for sale in 2011. The project is still actively seeking a solution of reuse.

RUSSIA CIS

Rosneft, Seadrill, NADL sign agreement

Rosneft, Seadrill Ltd. and North Atlantic Drilling Ltd. (NADL) signed a framework agreement that envisages long-term cooperation in the area of oilfield development projects, a press release said. The document foresees the acquisition by Rosneft of NADL shares through an exchange of assets and investments in NADL charter capital. The deal will allow Rosneft to acquire a fleet of platforms and drilling rigs to conduct onshore and offshore drilling operations.

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