Offshore staff
GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Discovery Geo Corp. plans to drill the Awakino South-1 well offshore from the north Taranaki coast in mid-year using the Ensco-56
jackup now drilling for Shell at Pohokura, according to New Zealand's Crown Minerals.
Current plans are to begin drilling Awakino South-1 some 7 km (4.3 mi) from the coast in mid-July.
Well partners are looking at a sub-thrust Mangahewa sandstone play at approximately 3,000 m (9,842 ft).
A deviated well is going to be drilled, then the drill will be pulled back and a lateral well drilled horizontally through the Tikorangi limestone formation. This would test shows recorded in the Tikorangi by the Awakino-1 well in 1985 by Petrocorp. Awakino-1 drilled through this formation but had not reached as deep as the Mangahewa.
In Discovery Geo's other offshore New Zealand permit in Cook Strait, 500 km (311 mi) of prospect defining 2D seismic is scheduled to be acquired shortly to follow up two earlier rounds of seismic. It will use the seismic shipDiscoverer-II once it is finished working for the OMV-led partners in the Great South basin. The seismic would cover the Campbell lead off Cape Campbell on the eastern coast of Marlborough in the South Island. It would also cover other potential leads further east and south, down the Marlborough coast.
03/31/2008
