Lukoil confirmed it has hit oil with an appraisal well on its deepwater Independence 1-X discovery offshore West Africa’s Ivory Coast.
The company said in a press release that the first appraisal well on the field has proven oil in Turonian sands. The field, discovered in December 2011, lies in Block CI-401 in the Gulf of Guinea in a water depth of 1,689 m (5,542 ft).
The well was drilled to a total depth of more than 4,499 m (14,760 ft) by the Eirik Raude semisubmersible rig. Lukoil said that data are currently being processed in order to evaluate potential resources before a decision is made on further field appraisal plans.
The operator’s next drilling activity will be an exploration well, to be spudded in nearby Block CI-101. Lukoil holds a 56.66% stake in both blocks, with Vanco owning a 28.34% stake and state-owned Petroci 15%.