Offshore staff

CALGARY, Canada – Iona Energy (UK) Ltd has agreed to take the Diamond Offshore semisubmersible drilling rig Ocean Nomad for one well on the Staffa oil field in the UK northern North Sea.

Drilling of the well on block 3/8d should start in August.

Staffa is a decommissioned Jurassic Brent group field with proven oil in the Upper Ness and Tarbert reservoir formations. It comprises a rotated Jurassic fault block, divided into three fault compartments running from north to south, all of which have been penetrated by at least one well.

According to Iona, the re-development is aimed at the central Staffa “Main” fault block. The drilling plan includes two production wells phased 12-18 months apart.

Ocean Nomad will drill the first well up-dip from the 3/8b-14z well that produced in 1994, with completion is planned across the Tarbert and Upper Ness intervals. The initial production rate should be above 10,000 boe/d.

During the first half of 2014, a second well will be drilled along strike and to the north of 3/8b-10, which could be used for water injection.

2/17/2012