Offshore staff
CALGARY, Canada -- Drilling will resume in the next few days on the Cladhan discovery in the UK northern North Sea, according to operator Sterling Resources.
The semisubTransocean Prospect, currently on tow, will drill at least one appraisal well and one side track on the structure in blocks 210/29a and 210/30a.
John Rapach, Sterling’s COO, said last year’s production test of the 210/29a-4Z well, at 5,900 b/d of oil, and finding oil down dip of that well with the 210/29a-4Y side track, persuaded the Cladhan partners to accelerate appraisal drilling.
“We have managed to prepare to drill the next well, 210/30a-4, within seven months of re-entering the original discovery well 210/29a-4 in August 2010”, he added.
The latest program will involve drilling further down dip, again probing for deeper oil in the structure to the east of the previous wells. This will be followed by a side track to an undrilled channel further south of the current well penetrations.
If both wells are successful, the rig could stay on to drill a second side track from the same well out into the fan system. Drilling time if all three wells go ahead could total 95 days.
Sterling says results from this campaign will assist planning of the field development conceptual design, which is already under way.
02/17/2011
