Offshore staff
LONDON -- Drilling is under way on the latest appraisal well of Nautical Petroleum’s Kraken heavy oil field in the UK northern North Sea.
The semisubWilhunter is drilling 9/02b-5 in block 9/2b, 1 km (0.6 mi) southwest of the 9/02-1a discovery well, to further appraise Kraken’s core area and establish a commercial flow rate.
Initially, a pilot well will be drilled, cored and logged, and this will be followed by a horizontal sidetrack of up to 600 m (1,968 ft).
An LWD suite will be run over the horizontal section to provide further insight into reservoir quality and distribution. The side track will then be completed with a gravel pack and tested using an electric submersible pump.
Drilling is expected to take around 60 days, including 20 days for the pilot program. On completion, the well will be suspended for re-use in a future development.
Steve Jenkins, CEO of Nautical, said: "Assuming success, it is our intention to submit a preliminary Field Development Plan (FDP) for the first phase of the development to the UK government by September, with a target for full FDP approval by June 2012."
Nautical operate block 9/2b, in partnership with Celtic Oil and Canamens Energy North Sea.
07/07/2011
