BW Energy re-jigs offshore Gabon drilling schedule following casing issue

Oct. 17, 2023
BW Energy has temporarily suspended drilling and completion activities on the DRM-3H production well at the Ruche Field offshore Gabon.

Offshore staff

OSLO, Norway  BW Energy has temporarily suspended drilling and completion activities on the DRM-3H production well at the Ruche Field offshore Gabon.

This is the company’s longest lateral step-out well to date, drilled to a depth of 5,351 m after encountering oil in the Gamba reservoir, but an alternative final casing design is needed. BW Energy expects to return to the location to complete the well later in the current drilling campaign once it has received additional casing material.

In the meantime, to make best use of the contracted rig, the partners in the Dussafu PSC have started drilling the Hibiscus South exploration prospect (DHBSM-1), 5 km southwest of the BW MaBoMo production platform, with an estimated 7 MMbbl recoverable in the Gamba reservoir.

Production from the DHIBM-3H well has been reinstated using an electrical submersible pump (ESP). The ESP on the DHIBM-4H well, which had been producing on natural flow, has also been successfully restarted. Operations continue to stabilize production from both wells.

Currently the total Dussafu gross production, with all Tortue and Hibiscus wells in service, ranges from 30,000 to 35,000 bbl/d of oil.

Once the Hibiscus/Ruche drilling campaign finishes, with all wells completed and onstream, total oil production on the Dussafu license should approach 40,000 bbl/d.

10.17.2023