Offshore staff
LONDON – Caithness Oil has brought onstream the Lybster oil field in the nearshore Inner Moray Firth off northern Scotland.
Lybster is in block 11/24 - 3v2 (license P.1270).
According to partner Trapoil, the production facilities are in place and commissioned, and arrangements are in place to truck and sell the oil produced to ConocoPhillips at its Immingham refinery on the English east coast.
Trapoil gained a 35% carried interest in the license as part of the portfolio owned byReach Oil & Gas which it acquired last July.
The company is also a partner to Summit Petroleum in theOrchid exploration well in the UK North Sea, which has reached its targeted depth of 8,609 ft (2,624 m) TVD subsea, and will now be P&A’d.
The 12¼-in. wellbore was re-drilled as a mechanical side track. Although the shallow secondary objective Andrew sandstones were not well developed over the top of the structure, the deeper primary target Chalk zone yielded more than 280 ft (85 m) of good oil shows.
Around 100 ft (30.5 m) into the reservoir, there was an influx into the wellbore of a small amount of fluid, reported at the rig site to be oil. MWD logs completed over the Chalk interval confirm at least 50 ft (15 m) of net oil pay with average porosities of 30% and an average oil saturation of 47%.
Trapoil’s analysis suggests the well penetrated 64 ft (20 m) of gross oil pay above a 235-ft (72-m) transition zone, and estimates potential volumes of around 40 MMbbl.
Although this may be commercial, a second well would be needed for proof. The partners will consider their options.
5/8/2012
