Jeremy Beckman • Houston North America
StatoilHydro has discovered hydrocarbons in a deepwater play in the Flemish Pass basin offshore Newfoundland. The well was drilled on the Mizzen prospect by the semisubmersibleHenry Goodrich in exploration license 1049. StatoilHydro plans further analysis of the results, and expects to file an application for a Significant Discovery License.
Jurong Shipyard has clinched a $247-million contract from Gander Drilling for a Moss Maritime DP-3 semisubmersible, with an option for a second rig. The six-column hull, assembled at a yard in Russia, was due to arrive in Singapore in April to undergo outfitting and completion.
Pemex already has secured the harsh environment semi for a five-year contract in the Gulf of Mexico. The rig will be able to work in water depths of up to 10,000 ft (3,048 m), with a maximum drilling depth of 30,000 ft (9,144 m).
West Africa
Total’s run of deepwater drilling successes continues off Republic of Congo. Its Moho Nord Marine-4 well proved a 163-m (535-ft), high quality oil column in the Albian F structure, 4.4 km (2.7 mi) northwest of the Tertiary structure drilled last year by MHNM-3 in the northern part of the Moho-Bilondo license.
The new discovery, 75 km (47 mi) offshore in 1,078 m (3,537 ft) water depth, flowed at 8,100 b/d of oil through a 52/64-in. choke. Total claims the well confirms the existence of significant Albian resources in this part of the license.The company started production from the southern part of Moho-Bilondo in April 2008. Preliminary development studies for Moho Nord are under way.
Map shows location of Total’s latest discovery in the Moho Bilondo license.
In Cameroon’s Rio del Rey basin, Total has been named operator of the Dissoni exploration block, in partnership with Pecten. The 143-sq km (55-sq mi) block is close to the company’s existing concessions.
Sonangol has formed a joint exploration partnership with Houston-based Cobalt International Energy. Under the terms of the agreement, Cobalt is designated operator of the consortium for deepwater blocks 9 and 21 off Angola. Drilling should start in 2010. In return, Cobalt has assigned 25% of its interests in 11 deepwater Gulf of Mexico leases to Sonangol.
Brazil
National oil company Petrobras and Repsol have issued a declaration of commercial viability for their Piracuca light oil and gas discovery in the Santos basin. Hydrocarbons were encountered in reservoirs above the salt layer in the BM-S-7 block, in 200 m (656 ft) of water, around 200 km (124 mi) from the town of Santos. The consortium estimate reserves at around 550 MMboe.
In the BM-S-9 concession in the same basin, Petrobras has proven another light oil accumulation, named Iguaçu. It plans to drill a further well in the area shortly. Iguaçu is in water depth of 2,140 m (7,021 ft), around 340 km (211 mi) off the coast of Sao Paulo state.
Northern Europe
Petrofac Energy Developments has lifted first oil from the West Don field in the UK northern North Sea. Production, initially via an FPSO with tanker offloading, will eventually head to Lundin’s Thistle platform through a subsea tieback. An associated two-well development, Don Southwest should come on line by end-June.
The partners in the Skanled pipeline project have suspended development studies due to increased commercial risk and uncertainty over future gas demand. The proposed scheme would have taken gas from Norwegian North Sea fields to new markets in southern Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. If conditions improved, the project could be revived, says Thor Otto Lohne, Gassco’s executive vice president.
Mediterranean Sea
Eni has secured environmental approval from Italy’s government for its Guendalina gas development in the northern Adriatic Sea. The project calls for a single production platform with two wells. First gas is scheduled for end-2010.
Close to the maritime border with Malta, Northern Petroleum is set to be awarded offshore license d351c.R-.NP., covering an area of 100 sq km (39 sq mi). It includes an extension to a mapped prospect in an adjoining permit.
Repsol YPF has its first hydrocarbons discovery off Libya. The well was drilled in 50 m (164 ft) of water in block NC202 in the Sirte basin, awarded to the company and its partners in 2003. Initial production tests yielded flows of 1,264 b/d of 26º API oil and 16.4 MMcm/d (579 MMcf/d) of gas.
Noble Energy has completed testing of its Dalit gas discovery in the deepwater Michal license in the Levantine basin. Equipment constraints limited tests to a 43-ft (13-m) section of the reservoir, which flowed at 33 MMcf/d. However, performance modeling suggests the well could be completed to achieve a rate of 200 MMcf/d. The company estimates Dalit’s gross mean resources at 500 bcf. The semisubmersibleAtwood Hunter has since returned to Noble’s Tamar field in the same region for appraisal drilling. Tamar is thought to hold potential resources of 5 tcf.
Black Sea
Petrobras and Turkish Petroleum Corp. (TPAO) have signed a farm-out accord concerning the deepwater drilling semisubmersibleLeiv Eriksson. Petrobras has contracted the semi from Ocean Rig for three years’ work in the Turkish sector, starting with a well on the Sinop prospect in spring 2010. TPAO has the option to use the rig also for one or more of seven wells it has planned over the coming years.
Late last month, Toreador and partners HEMA Energy and Sherritt International expected to spud the Durusu-1 exploratory well, using the jackupSaturn. The location is in 80 m (262 ft) of water, 20 km (12.4 mi) off the Turkish Black Sea coast.Middle EastRAK Petroleum Oman has acquired Eagle Energy (Oman) from Heritage Oil. Eagle holds a 10% interest in Omani block 8, which includes the offshore Bukha and West Bukha fields. The latter came on stream in February.
Iranian Offshore Oil Co. (IOOC) claims that ONGC Videsh has discovered a large oil field in the Persian Gulf. The Binaloud field in the Farsi block may hold reserves of 1 Bbbl of heavy crude. IOOC added that ONGC had committed to invest $3 billion in development of the offshore Farzad B gas field, which would be converted to LNG for export to India and other countries in the region.
The first of two new wellhead platform topsides for the Qatargas 3 and 4 projects has been completed in Jebel Ali. The 2,200-metric ton (2,425-ton) topside was due to sail out to its offshore location for mating with a pre-installed jacket, and lowering over 11 pre-installed well conductors. The new offshore facilities are to supply gas for two LNG trains under construction in Ras Laffan City, Qatar.
India
India has launched its latest exploration licensing round, NELP-VIII. The acreage on offer covers a sedimentary area of 164,000 sq km (63,321 sq m), and includes 24 deepwater and 28 shallow water blocks in the western, eastern, and Andaman Sea sectors.
Asia-Pacific
Exxon Neftegas has contracted Aker Solutions to design, build and deliver a gravity base structure for the Sakhalin-1 project. The $600 million consignment will support the drilling and production facilities for the offshore Arkutun-Dagi development.
CNOOC will assume full responsibility for decommissioning of Lufeng field in the South China Sea. Current operator StatoilHydro will cede control later this year after production has ceased. Lufeng, 250 km (155 mi) southeast of Hong Kong, was brought onstream in 1997. The field, originally expected to shut down in 2004, had delivered 42 MMbbl of oil by end-2008.
In the Beibu Gulf, CNOOC and Australia’s ROC Oil are close to agreement on an overall development plan for block 22/12. Under the proposal, oil from the Wei 6-12 and Wei 12-8 fields would be exported through a new pipeline, with spare capacity to accommodate other fields along the route.
Marathon and Indonesia Kumawa Energy have won a production sharing contract for the Kumawa block offshore West Papua. The location is in the Semai region, around 180 mi (290 km) south of the newly commissioned Tangguh LNG facilities. Water depths range from 2,400 ft (732 m) to over 4,000 ft (1,219 m). Marathon will operate the PSC. The partners expect to acquire 2D seismic prior to drilling.
Australasia
INPEX has contracted Amec for front-end engineering design for the Ichthys gas-condensate development in Australia’s Browse basin. The program drawn up by INPEX and partner Total comprises subsea gas gathering facilities; a floating process platform for the gas; an FPSO for the condensate; and a gas export pipeline to Darwin. Earlier this year the partners issued a separate FEED for an LNG plant in Darwin.
In the Timor Sea, the federal government has renewed Major Project Facilitation Status for two LNG/methanol extraction schemes proposed by MEO Australia. MEO plans to develop Tassie Shoal, an area of shallow water around 275 km (171 mi) northwest of Darwin, as a hub for numerous stranded gas fields within a 150-km (93-mi) radius. Much of the gas has a medium to high CO2 content, which could be converted to methanol for use in adhesives, paints, and silicones.
MEO plans to install separate methanol and LNG storage facilities on concrete gravity structures in Tassie Shoal, connected to an LNG plant on a self-erecting platform and an accommodation and control platform.
New Zealand’s Kupe development should come on stream this summer, according to partner New Zealand Oil & Gas (NZOG). The offshore facilities and the onshore production station near Hawera are all in place, while two condensate storage tanks at a site near New Plymouth are close to completion. Earlier this year, NZOG gained a new exploration permit (PEP 51311) to the west and south of Kupe, where it has already acquired over 500 km (311 mi) of 2D seismic.
