Offshore staff
EDINBURGH, UK -- Cairn Energy’s second exploration drilling campaign offshore Greenland has got off to a disappointing start.
The LF7-1 exploration well was drilled by theOcean Rig Corcovado in the Lady Franklin block, South Ungavva area, in 1,002 m (3,287 ft) water depth, 300 km (186 mi) offshore the capital Nuuk. It has reached total depth in basement strata.
Preparations are under way to P&A the well, which encountered a thick Upper Cretaceous section with tight (cemented) sandstones. However, the anticipated stratigraphically deeper reservoir section was absent.
Cairn adds that initial geochemical analysis of the background gas composition indicates the presence of pre-Tertiary oil-prone source rocks in the basin.
The concurrent AT7-1 exploration well, drilled by theLeiv Eriksson in the Atammik block, in 909 m (2,982 ft) of water 200 km (124 mi) offshore Nuuk, is temporarily suspended above the prognosed target objectives.
It is due to be re-entered and drilled to its planned depth later on in the current program. Now that a weather window has opened in the Disko area, the rig has transferred 750 km (466 mi) to the north to start drilling the Delta-1 well in the Napariaq block, in 293 m (961 ft) water depth.
The location is around 100 km (62 mi) off the Greenland coast and 110 km (68 mi) northeast of the Alpha-1S1 well that Cairn drilled last year in the Sigguk block.
Corcvovado’s next well will be on the Gamma prospect in the Eqqua block, in 1,520 m (4,987 ft) of water, 110 km (68 mi) southwest of Alpha-1S1.
Simon Thomson, Cairn’s CEO, said: “Although no reservoir has been found in the LF7-1 well, the first in the basin, we are encouraged by further indications of pre-Tertiary oil-prone source rocks across our Greenland acreage. The exploration challenge remains to find the reservoir sands.
“We continue to be optimistic about the remainder of our 2011 four-well, multi-basin exploration program offshore Greenland.”
08/03/2011
