Offshore staff
STAVANGER -- StatoilHydro has confirmed the existence of gas in the Ververis prospect in the Barents Sea. The Polar Pioneer struck gas in the prospect while drilling exploration well 7226/2-1.
The main purpose of the well was to confirm the existence of hydrocarbons in early Jurassic to mid-Jurassic sandstones. The well confirmed the existence of gas in mid-Jurassic sandstones. No gas/water contact was established. Nor has any formation leak-off test been conducted, but extensive data acquisition and sampling have taken place, the company says.
"It is of course promising that we have discovered gas, but the drilling was performed in a relatively complex formation," says Bente Fotland at StatoilHydro's Harstad office. "We therefore need to perform more analyses and evaluations in order to determine the resource potential of the discovery."
Polar Pioneer drilled the discovery well to a vertical depth of 2,992 m (9,816 ft) below the sea surface and completed in the lower Triassic Havert formation. Next, the rig is scheduled to drill exploration well 7224/6-1 in production license 394, operated by StatoilHydro.
The company also announced thatTransocean Leader drilled exploration well 6605/8-2 in the Stetind structure in the Norwegian Sea without any recoverable hydrocarbons being confirmed.
After completing this well the rig will move on to production license 218 in the Norwegian Sea for the drilling of exploration well 6706/12-1, operated by StatoilHydro.
07/07/2008
