Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway – In the North Sea, COSL Pioneer rig completed wildcat well 34/8-15 S for Statoil in PL120, and proved gas.
The well was drilled in 378 m (1,240 ft) of water on the northeast flank ofVisund. It intersected a 50-m (164 ft) gas column in the Brent Group in reservoir rocks with good reservoir quality. Norwegian Petroleum Directorate estimates recoverable reserves in the 0.7-1.6 MMcmoe range – enough, probably, for a tie-in to existing infrastructure in the Visund area.
Statoil has since gained consent from Petroleum Safety Authority Norway for an exploration well (6506/9-3) on the Smørbukk North field, using the semisubmersibleTransocean Leader. Water depth is 302 m (991 ft).
Drilling was due to start this month and could last up to 87 days, if a discovery results.
The semisubmersibleOcean Vanguard has completed the latest appraisal well and side track on the Statoil-operated portion of the Johan Sverdrup field in the Norwegian North Sea.
The main wellbore 16/2-17S, drilled in license PL265, was appraising the western part of the field. It encountered a gross 82-m (269-ft) oil column in Jurassic sandstones and flow tested almost 6,000 b/d of oil with good flow properties in the upper part of the reservoir.
The results confirmed the extent of the reservoir along the western margin of the field and reservoir characteristics seen elsewhere in the field. The results should aid development planning. However, the subsequent side track 16/2-17B on the Cliffhanger South prospect farther west was a dry hole.
“Statoil still sees potential in the Cliffhanger North area based on seismic data and our geological models, and will test it with a dedicated well later this summer,” said Gro G. Haatvedt, senior vice president of exploration Norway.
6/14/2013
