The SNE North-1 exploration well offshore Senegal hit oil and gas, adding to the hydrocarbon potential north of the SNE Field, Cairn Energy said Aug. 7

“The SNE North well results are encouraging in terms of further prospectivity and implications for the full block potential offshore Senegal,” Cairn Energy CEO Simon Thomson said in a news release.

Drilled to a total depth of 2,837 m (9,308 ft), the well hit a 24-m (79-ft) gross hydrocarbon column across three intervals, about 11 m (36 ft) net of condensate and gas in the primary objective and about 4 m (13 ft) net of oil in the deeper secondary objective, the company said. The oil type was described as slightly lighter than that encountered at the SNE Field.

SNE North-1, which is being plugged and abandoned with the Stena DrillMAX rig released, is located in about 900 m (2,953 ft) water depth in the Sangomar Deep Offshore Block. The well is about 15 km (9 miles) north of the SNE-1 discovery.

“Further work is being undertaken to establish the potential commerciality of this discovery and to integrate the results with the block wide data gathered to date,” Cairn said in the release. “The well result has positive implications for further hydrocarbon potential to the north of the structural trend containing the SNE Field and SNE North-1 discovery well, as well as for broader exploration potential in the permit.”

The discovery brings Cairn’s five-well 2017 drilling campaign to a close. Cairn and its partners are now considering exploration drilling in the Rufisque, Sangomar and Sangomar Deep production-sharing contract area, the company said.

Offshore