World news - September/October

Exploration operations begin at Keskesi East-1 well off shore Suriname

Apache Corp. and Total have provided an update to the technical evaluation of the Kwaskwasi-1 discovery well offshore Suriname.

Kwaskwasi-1 discovered hydrocarbons in multiple stacked targets in the upper Cretaceous-aged Campanian and Santonian intervals. The well encountered 278 m (912 ft) of net oil and volatile oil/gas condensate pay. The shallower Campanian interval contains 63 m (207 ft) of net oil pay and 86 m (282 ft) of net volatile oil/gas condensate pay. The Santonian interval contains 129 m (423 ft) of net pay. Fluid samples from the Campanian validated the presence of oil with API gravities between 34 and 43°.

The Noble Sam Croft drillship has gathered reservoir and other technical data in the Santonian. The company was able to successfully retrieve rotary sidewall cores but was unable to collect representative fluid samples from the reservoir due to conditions caused by cementing operations, which were required to mitigate increased pressure below the base of the Santonian formation. Hydrocarbon shows were observed in the Santonian reservoirs, and the results of the formation evaluation indicate the presence of oil.

The Noble Sam Croft has commenced operations at the Keskesi East-1 exploration well approximately 14 km (9 miles) southeast of Sapakara West-1. The Keskesi well will test upper Cretaceous targets in the Campanian and Santonian.

Apache holds a 50% working interest in Block 58 and will continue to be the operator through the completion of the Keskesi well. Total holds the remaining 50% working interest.

Neptune Energy receives drilling permit

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has issued a drilling permit for well 6406/12-G-1 H to Neptune Energy.

Well 6406/12-G-1 H will be drilled from the West Phoenix drilling facility in position 64°1’50.48”N and 6°45’2.89”E once it completes the drilling of observation well 6406/12-H-4 for Neptune Energy in production licence 586.

The drilling programme for well 6406/12-G-1 H relates to the drilling of a wildcat well in production licence 586. Neptune Energy is the operator with an ownership interest of 30%. The other licensees are Vår Energi (45%), Suncor Energy (17.5%) and DNO Norge (7.5%). The area in this licence consists of part of block 6406. The well will be drilled about 36 km southwest of the Njord field.

The licence is conditional on the operator securing all other permits and consents required by other authorities before drilling activity starts.

Petrofac awarded services contract

Petrofac’s Engineering and Production Services (EPS) business has announced the award of a multi-million dollar Integrated Services Contract with Ithaca Energy (Ithaca).

In a new 5-year deal, Petrofac will integrate operations, maintenance, engineering, construction, and onshore and offshore technical support across Ithaca’s North Sea operated asset base.

The contract extends Petrofac’s existing working relationship with Ithaca, as well as the duration and breadth of services it provides for the Alba, Captain, Erskine and FPF-1 assets, building on the operations, engineering and support services it has been providing since 2011.

Having expanded its in-house capabilities, Ithaca will assume Safety Case responsibility for the FPF-1 asset, whilst Petrofac continues to provide all services and 96 offshore team members for the asset under the new contract.

In briefIn brief

India

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) in India has awarded Fugro a 3-year contract to provide integrated survey services for the fourth consecutive time. Work is now under way on the latest contract, which covers infield developments on the east and west coasts of India. The survey services include pipeline route engineering and rig site surveys using multibeam bathymetric, shallow seismic profiling, magnetometry and 2D UHR, along with rig positioning, current profile measurements and wellhead searches.

Vietnam

Pharos Energy has received approval from the Prime Minister of Vietnam for the TGT Full Field Development Plan (FFDP). This represents the last stage of the required process and follows the recent approval of an initial 2-year licence extension to 7 December 2026, as announced in the TGT field licence extension and RBL update on 4 August 2020. Ordering of long-lead items can now proceed to enable the commencement of the drilling of six firm development wells contained in the FFDP in 4Q21 as planned. This infill-drilling programme is targeted to increase gross production at TGT from the present 15 000 boe/d to around 20 000 boe/d in 2022.

Brazil

Alfa Laval has won two orders to supply Framo pumping systems for two FPSOs to operate outside the coast of Brazil. The orders have a total value of approximately SEK155 million and are booked in the Pumping Systems unit of the Marine Division, with deliveries scheduled for 2021.

World news

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27 – 29 October 2020

SPE ATCE 2020 Online atce.org

09 – 12 November 2020

ADIPEC 2020 Online adipec.com/virtual

24 – 26 November 2020

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08 – 11 December 2020

EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition 2020 Amsterdam, Netherlands eage.eventsair.com/eageannual2020

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Submission of bid in Nigeria’s 2020 Marginal Field Round Oil falls as market corrects boosted price levels Waitsia Gas Project Stage 2 recommended for environmental approval

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Hess makes discovery off shore Guyana

Hess has announced another oil discovery offshore Guyana at the Redtail-1 well, the 18 th discovery on the Stabroek Block, which will add to the previously announced gross discovered recoverable resource estimate for the block of more than 8 billion boe.

Redtail-1 encountered approximately 232 ft (70 m) of high quality oil bearing sandstone and was drilled in 6164 ft (1878 m) of water. The well is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.5 km) northwest of the Yellowtail discovery and is the ninth discovery in the southeast area of the block.

In addition to the Redtail-1 discovery, drilling at Yellowtail-2 resulted in the discovery of additional reservoir intervals adjacent to and below the Yellowtail-1 discovery. Yellowtail-2 encountered 69 ft (21 m) of high quality oil bearing reservoirs, which comprise the 17 th discovery on the Stabroek Block. This resource is currently being evaluated for development in conjunction with other nearby discoveries.

In total, the Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres.

Eni and BP make gas discovery off shore Egypt

Eni and BP have announced a new gas discovery in the Great Nooros Area, located in the Abu Madi West Development Lease, in the conventional waters of the Nile Delta, offshore Egypt.

This new discovery, achieved through the Nidoco NW-1 exploratory well, is located in 16 m of water depth, 5 km from the coast and 4 km north from the Nooros field, discovered in July 2015.

The Nidoco NW-1 exploratory well discovered gas-bearing sands for a total thickness of 100 m, of which 50 m within the Pliocene sands of the Kafr-El-Sheik formations and 50 m within the Messinian age sandstone of the Abu Madi formations, both levels with good petrophysical properties. In the Abu Madi formations a new level, which was not yet encountered in the Nooros field, has been crossed proving the high potential of the Great Nooros Area and the further extension of the gas potential to the north of the field.

The preliminary evaluation of the well results indicates that the Great Nooros Area gas in place can be estimated in excess of 4 trillion ft 3 .

Aker BP extends contract for low-emission rig

Maersk Drilling has been awarded an additional one-well contract from Aker BP for the low-emission jack-up rig Maersk Integrator.

In direct continuation of its previously announced work scope, the rig will move to the Ula field offshore Norway to drill the Ula F – Producer 1 well. The contract has an estimated duration of 85 days and is expected to commence in April 2021. The contract value is approximately US$21.6 million, excluding integrated services provided and a potential performance bonus.

Maersk Integrator is contracted under the terms of the frame agreement that Maersk Drilling and Aker BP entered into in 2017 as part of the Aker BP Jack-up Alliance which also includes Halliburton. This alliance uses a shared incentives model, thereby securing mutual commitment to collaborate and drive digital initiatives to reduce waste and deliver value. Contracts under the alliance are based on market-rate terms but add the possibility of an upside for all parties, based on actual delivery and performance.

Maersk Integrator is an ultra-harsh environment CJ70 XLE jack-up rig, designed for year-round operations in the North Sea. It was delivered in 2015 and is currently finalising its scheduled Special Periodic Survey offshore Norway. The rig is further underwent a series of upgrades to turn it into a hybrid, low-emission rig before expectedly moving to the Ivar Aasen field for Aker BP in August.