Dana nets gas catch at Cormoran

Offshore staff

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania -- Dana Petroleum has P&A’d the deepwater Cormoran-1 exploration well offshore Mauritania as a gas discovery.

The well, was drilled in 1,630 m (5,348 ft) of water by the semisubmersible Maersk Deliverer to a TD of 4,695 m (15,403 ft) below sea level, flowed stabilized gas at 22-24 MMcf/d during a test of one of four separate gas columns encountered.

Cormoran-1 is in block 7, 2 km (1.24 mi) south of the Pelican-1 gas find drilled in late 2003. The main aim was to test the Cormoran prospect, which is deeper lying than the Pelican discovery reservoir.

A secondary objective was the Petronia prospect, located beneath Cormoran prospect. Dana also hoped the well would provide appraisal information on Pelican.

Cormoran-1 mainly intersected thin but good quality, gas-bearing, sands within the Pelican Group at depths of 3,376-3,711 m (11,076-12,175 ft) TVD subsea. This interval comprised two gas columns, one in the Upper Pelican Group (3,376-3,420 m, or 11,076-11,220 ft) and one in the Lower Pelican Group (3,691-3,711 m, or 12,109-12,175 ft).

Dana says the well also encountered good quality, gas-bearing, sands within the Cormoran prospect in the gross interval from 4,351-4,471 m (14,275-14,668 ft), and at the top of the Petronia prospect, in the gross interval from 4,660-4,695m (15,288-15,403 ft).

Drilling was halted at 4,695 m (15,403 ft) due largely to elevated pore pressures. At this depth, the well was still in a gas-bearing reservoir section.

A drillstem test was conducted across a 33-m (108-ft) interval in the Lower Pelican Group (3,679-3,712 m, or 12,070-12,178 ft). This yielded stabilized flow rates of up to 22-24 MMcf/d on a 32/64-in. choke, rates being substantially constrained by the need to avoid sand production.

Cormoran-1 could be re-entered in the future, Dana adds.

01/10/2011