Cairn Energy’s FAN South-1 well offshore Senegal encountered a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir in the Lower Cretaceous, adding to the potential commerciality of the area’s deepwater resources, the company said July 11.

Preliminary analysis indicates 31 degree API oil quality. Located in a water depth of about 2,175 m (7,136 ft) in the Sangomar Deep Offshore Block, the well was drilled by the Stena DrillMAX drillship about 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the FAN-1 exploration well.

“FAN South is our 10th well in Senegal in the last three years and our second well to encounter oil in the deep portion of the basin, adjacent to the FAN discovery,” Cairn Energy CEO Simon Thomson said in the release. “The results of FAN South will be integrated with FAN-1 and SNE to help the joint venture’s ongoing evaluation of the large, deepwater basin potential offshore Senegal.”

FAN South-1 is being plugged and abandoned, and the rig is moving north to begin operations at the SNE North exploration prospect, 15 km (9 miles) north of the SNE-1 discovery well. It will be the northernmost location yet tested and is on trend with the SNE Field, Cairn said. SNE North, located in about 900 m (2,953 ft) water depth, is targeting a prospective volume of more than 80 MMbbl of total resources in multiple objectives.

Offshore