Transocean prepares to drill North Sea Agar/Plantain prospects

Aug. 20, 2018
Azinor Catalyst says the semisub Transocean Leader has come on contract for the Agar Plantain exploration and appraisal well in the UK central North Sea.

Offshore staff

LONDON – Azinor Catalyst says the semisub Transocean Leader has come on contract for the Agar Plantain exploration and appraisal well in the UK central North Sea.

Initially the rig will drill the Plantain exploration prospect, followed by a contingent side track to appraise the 2014 Agar oil field discovery. Overall cost of the drilling program is around $15 million.

Catalyst has a 50% interest in blocks 9/9d and 9/14a, which contain Agar and Plantain. The 9/14a-15A discovery well on Agar penetrated a 33-ft (10-m) column (oil-down-to) in good quality Eocene Frigg formation sands.

Collectively, the two prospects could hold resources in the range of 60-98 MMboe. Faroe Petroleum recently agreed to farm into the license and associated drilling program.

Henry Morris, Catalyst’s technical director, said: “Now it is up to the drill bit to test our understanding of the seismic and the subsurface. In a similar vein, we’re progressing well with the 2019 drilling campaign.

“The three prospects (Goose, Boaz and Hinson) are of an equal high quality to Agar Plantain and in plays/reservoir types which are under-explored and have to date proven to have delivered commercial size opportunities to the market.”

08/20/2018