Offshore staff
EDINBURGH, UK – Cairn Energy is preparing to P&A its Gamma-1 exploration well in Greenland’s offshore West Disko area.
The drillshipOcean Rig Corcovado drilled the well the Eqqua block in 1,520 m (4,987 ft) of water, 294 km (182 mi) from Aasiaat.
Cairn says the target was a deepwater Tertiary basin floor fan 100 km (62 mi) down dip from last year’s T8-1 well, which had encountered biogenic and thermogenic gas. Although Gamma-1 well intersected the fan at the anticipated depth, there were no reservoir or hydrocarbon shows in the interval.
Currently the semisub Leiv Eiriksson is drilling the Delta-1 exploration well for Cairn in the Napariaq block, in a water depth of 293 m (961 ft) and 365 km (227 mi) from Aasiaat. The objective here is to intersect Cretaceous sediments in a large structural closure beneath the Tertiary volcanic interval which produced oil shows last year in the Alpha-1 well.
To date Delta-1 has encountered several hundred meters of Tertiary volcanic section, thicker than expected, and with only minor hydrocarbon indications.
After this well, the Leiv Eiriksson will transfer south to re-enter the AT7-1 well in the Atammik block in 909 m (2,982 ft) of water, 198 km (123 mi) offshore Nuuk, and drill to the planned total depth.
Once work on Gamma-1 is finished, Ocean Rig Corcovadoshould head 597 km (371 mi) south, again to the Atammik block, to drill the AT2 prospect for Cairn.
09/13/2011
