Offshore staff
LONDON –SOCO International majority-owned subsidiary SOCO Vietnam Ltd. has drilled an exploration well on block 16-1 in the Cuu Long basin offshore Vietnam. The Te Giac Den (TGD-1X) well encountered hydrocarbons in two Oligocene clastic sequences, SOCO says.
Well logs over the upper sequence indicate approximately 30 m (98 ft) of net pay. The current seismic interpretation shows another 300 m (984 ft) of sediment above basement.
The well will be plugged to isolate the lower higher-pressure zone from the upper sequence. GlobalSantaFe'sAdriatic XI jackup will test the upper Oligocene clastic sequence, which is also overpressured, in late August, the company says.
Going forward, the consortium expects to contract a 15,000 psi capability drilling rig either for a well re-entry or a new drill, dependent upon the timing of obtaining a suitable rig. If a larger rig can be contracted this year, it will be used to drill the deeper E South prospect nearby.
"The primary pre-drill risk of the E prospect, that there would be insufficient seal to preserve the hydrocarbon charge and the reservoir at depth, has improved dramatically over this giant prospect covering some 30 sq km (11.6 sq mi)," says Ed Story, president and chief executive of SOCO. "Obviously, the play works as we have already drilled potential pay equal to one-third of our pre-drill estimate, and we have more section to drill. We are anxious to return with suitable equipment as soon as it is available."
7/31/2007
