SOCO International said drillstem tests conducted so far on the TGT-10XST1 well exploration well on the H5 fault block of the Te Giac Trang (TGT) field, offshore Vietnam, have exceeded all pretest expectations.

Combined peak production from two of the three zones tested is more than 16,500 b/d, SOCO said in a news release. The third drillstem test in the well, which encountered approximately 250 m (820 ft) of gross pay section in the Miocene and Oligocene reservoir horizons, is now underway.

The first test, over a net 93-m (305-ft) section in the Oligocene C, produced at a maximum rate of 9,488 b/d and 1.16 MMscf/d of 41.1° API oil, the release said. The second test, over the Miocene Lower 5.2L sequence, tested a net 47.3 m (155 ft) interval. The maximum flow achieved over this interval was 7,100 b/d and 1.76 MMscf/d.

The final test is of the Lower Miocene Intra Lower Bach Ho 5.2 Upper and Lower sequence, testing an additional net 88.6 m (291 ft), the release said. This test has just commenced and should be completed in another five to seven days.

The well is located approximately 6 km (4 miles) south of the H4 Well Head Platform, which is in the southern part of the TGT field in Block 16-1 located in the Cuu Long basin off the southern coast of Vietnam.

In other news, SOCO reported the Lideka East Marine-1 well (LDKEM-1), which targeted a post-salt structure up-dip from the Lideka Marine-1 well in the Republic of Congo, found shows of oil in the Sendji formation (iS3). The well encountered approximately 50 m (164 ft) of net pay section in the Upper and Lower Sendji, of which approximately 30 m (98 ft) of net pay are within the targeted iS3 and S4 horizons.

The LDKEM-1 well was tested over a 20-m (66-m) interval in the iS3 and S4 horizons. The well flowed 30° to 35°API oil at a sustained rate of 350 b/d, with base, sediment and water around 1%, in line with predictions from the petrophysical analysis, the release said. Produced gas volumes were very low.

The well was drilled on the crest of the structure to identify the length of the oil column. The Sendji is known to be a heterogeneous reservoir, and detailed rock physics and inversion models will need to be used to determine where the best porosity zones are situated, according to the release. The oil water contact was not well defined in the exploration well, and an “oil down to” shale barrier could present upside. Further work will be conducted to establish viable opportunities on this field.