Mike Coolen, Canadian Superior Energy Inc.'s director of east coast operations, confirmed that the Canada-Nova Scotia Petroleum board has completed its review and issued its environmental approval of Canadian Superior's "Environmental Assessment for Exploration Drilling in license EL 2409," for the Mariner block. "Preparations for drilling on the Mariner block EL 2409 are well underway, targeting commencement of drilling by the end of May 2003," Coolen said.
Other company activities related to the Mariner project include the selection of the exact well location for the initial Mariner exploration well, based on the processing of over 2,200 km of high-resolution seismic data collected in late 2002. Well construction engineering and procurement activities are also well underway.
Canadian Superior's Mariner block EL 2409 includes 101,800 acres, and it directly offsets five significant discoveries near Sable Island including the 1.6-tcf Venture natural gas field, 275 km southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The company will drill the Mariner well to 19,685 ft TD and evaluate a large structure that has been identified directly offsetting the Venture natural gas field.
"Following the drilling of Mariner, we are planning to drill a second Marquis well, later in 2003," said Greg Noval, Canadian Superior's president. "Industry is also planning at least two wells offsetting Canadian Superior's Mariner and Marquis acreages, and deepwater drilling is being conducted offshore Nova Scotia, which bodes well for our company," said Noval.
Other environmental work recently completed has focused on the company's deepwater acreage, the Mayflower block EL 2406.
"As planned, prior to year end, we completed and filed with the CNSOPB, our Environmental Assessment of Exploration Drilling – Mayflower license EL 2406 – and the results of our Deep-Water Environmental Survey field program characterizing the benthic habitat in that block," said Coolen.
Canadian Superior's deepwater Mayflower block is 285 mi east of Boston, Massachusetts. Drilling on the Mayflower prospect, targeting large deepwater turbidite structures, is planned for late 2003/early 2004.
01/28/03