Drilling starts at Sèmè Field redevelopment offshore Benin

The Borr Gerd jackup has spud the first of three planned wells on the Sèmè Field in Block 1  offshore Benin for operator Akrake Petroleum.

The campaign, expected to last about 100 days, is part of a redevelopment program of the field following a brief production phase under former developer Saga Petroleum.

It will comprise two horizontal production wells in the previously produced H6 formation and a deeper vertical appraisal well, designed to obtain data from the H7 and H8 reservoirs related to a potential Phase 2 of the new development.

Once drilling has finished during the fall, a refurbished mobile offshore production unit (MOPU) and a floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit are due to arrive at the field location for installation, followed by connections to the newly drilled wells.

Akrake owner Lime Petroleum Holding is targeting first production later in the fourth quarter at initial rates of about 15,000 bbl/d of oil, almost three decades after the initial production activity.

At the same time, Akrake plans to compile more data on the subsurface, which will be co-analyzed with recently reprocessed 3D seismic data (originally acquired in 2007).

Results should help optimize further development, including untapped deeper reservoir sections.

Cotonou, Benin-based Octogone E&P is a partner in the production sharing contract.