ASIA/PACIFIC

Brunei Shell active in the Baram Delta

Brunei Shell has been active in its Offshore Agreement 2 contract area in the Baram Delta Basin. Serindit-1 on the Central Fairley Field, which was drilled and suspended for future production in late 1996, has now finished further testing and has been suspended as a gas discovery. Meanwhile, Bayan-1 (spudded 27 October 1996) was drilled to a TD of 3,815 meters before being plugged and abandoned dry.

Arco spuds first Myanmar wildcat

On 11 February 1997, Arco spudded its first wildcat in Myanmar, Shwe Pyi Htay-1, in M-9 in the Martaban Basin. The well, which is being drilled using JSL's Energy Searcher drillship, is the first of a four-well program and has a prognosed TD of 3,200 meters designed to test an Upper Miocene sandstone play. In late February, the well was drilling ahead in 17 1/2-inch hole, having set 20-inch casing at 518 meters..

China's Bohai drilling active

In the Bozhong area of the Bohai Gulf, COBHC spudded wildcat BZ 13-1 on 12 January using the Bohai 5 jackup. Currently, the well is coring at a depth of 4,099 meters, having set 9 5/8-inch casing at 3,981 meters. The well has a prognosed TD of 4,450 meters. Elsewhere in the area, COBHC abandoned delineation well BZ 27-4 on 27 February, after it had tested a maximum of 84 b/d of 38.4° API oil plus gas. After spudding in November 1996, the well had been drilled to a TD of 4,000 meters.

In the north of the Bohai Gulf, appraisal well Nanbao (NB) 35-2-2 was plugged and abandoned on 18 February, having tested a maximum of 152 b/d oil on a 10 rpm pump. To the west, on the Qinhuangdao (QHD) 32-6 Field, COBHC abandoned delineation well QHD 32-6-10 on 12 February at a TD of 1,960 meters. From two DSTs the well had flowed a maximum of 310 b/d of 17.1-19.5° API oil on a 30 rpm pump. Meanwhile, QHD 32-6-12 is currently operating at a TD of 1000 meters, having been spudded on 23 February.

Irong-3 spudded in Malay Basin

In PM-9 in the Malay Basin, Cariga* spudded vertical appraisal well Irong-3 on 16 January, using Diamond Drilling's Ocean General semisubmersible in 64 meters of water. It is located approximately 2 km southeast of Esso's 1980 well Irong-2, which was dry, and has a prognosed TD of 1997 meters, designed to test the potential of Miocene sandstones. After sidetracking the well was drilled on to an undisclosed TD and a testing program initiated. This is ongoing although as yet no results have been announced.

New gas discovery in Thai Pattani Basin

In B10/32A in the Pattani Basin, Unocal's West Dara-1 has been completed as a gas discovery. It penetrated 50 meters of gas pay in seven zones and flowed at a rate of 10 million cf/d gas through a 3/4-inch choke, from a single DST. The well was designed to test the hydrocarbon potential of Lower Middle Miocene sandstones and was spudded in mid-February using Sedco's Sedco 601 semisubmersible.

Yet another Thai/Malay JDA well completed

In the Malay-Thai Joint Development Area Block B-17 in the Malay Basin, CPOC's Jengka-1 was completed in mid-March as an oil, gas, and condensate well. After spudding on 21 January using Atwood's Falcon semisubmersible and drilling to a TD of 2,182 meters, the well tested at the combined rate of 48 million cf/d gas 1,451 b/d condensate (55° API) and 585 b/d oil (41° API) from four DSTs between 1,892 and 2,182 meters. It is located approximately 38 km southeast of the Muda-1 gas/condensate discovery. Elsewhere in the JDA, CPOC's Muda-4 in Block B-17 is drilling ahead towards its prognosed TD of 2,500 meters.

Fina finds oil & gas in Vietnam Block 46

In Block 46 in the Malay Basin, Fina's 46-NII-1X wildcat has tested 5,452 b/d of 38° API oil and 1.9 million cf/d gas from a single reservoir interval, having been drilled to a TD of 2,500 meters. The well was spudded on 27 January by KDC's Doo Sung semisubmersible in 53 meters of water and was targeting Middle Miocene stacked fluvio-deltaic sandstones. The well was suspended as an oil discovery on 21 February and the rig re-located to spud 46-PT-1X on 24 February.

JVPC's 15-2-GD-1X wildcat in Block 15-2 in the Mekong Basin has been completed as an oil discovery. After spudding on 23 November 1996 using JDC's Hakuryu-5 semisubmersible, the well was drilled to an undisclosed TD before at least one DST was conducted.