Afren has discovered a new oil-bearing structure close to the Okoro field off southeast Nigeria.

The jackup Transocean Adriatic IX spudded a well on the Okoro East prospect in mid-December, reaching total MD of 8,751 ft (2,667 m). It encountered 549 ft (167 m) true vertical thickness of net oil pay and 41 ft (12.5 m) of net gas pay in good quality reservoir sands.

Afren says the oil-bearing Tertiary reservoir sands are equivalent to those developed and already in production 2 km (1.2 mi) to the west at the Okoro main field. However, the discovery of further significant pay in previously unexplored deeper zones opens up further prospectivity at similar levels on the main field and elsewhere on the block.

Logging operations have been completed and the well is being prepared for testing, after which Afren and partner Amni will work on an optimal development solution.

Osman Shahenshah, CEO of Afren, said: “We look forward next to spudding the Nunya-1x (Cuda-2) exploration well offshore Ghana later this month.”