Offshore staff
HOUSTON – Cobalt International Energy announced a pair of discoveries at the Lontra and Mavinga presalt prospects offshore Angola.
The Lontra 1 exploratory well, on Block 20, reached total depth and encountered oil and gas. Cobalt said evaluation was under way and that more information would be released by the end of 2013. When tests are complete, the company plans to move the Petroserv-managedSSV Catarina semisub to the Orca prospect, formerly known as Baleia, to drill an exploratory well. Orca is also in block 20, where Cobalt’s partners are Sonangol and BP.
On Block 21, the Mavinga 1 well encountered around 100 ft (30 m) of net oil pay but failed to reach a sustained flow rate from a full drill stem test.
“Cobalt is in the early stages of determining what operational issues may have prevented the production from the oil reservoir during the drill stem test,” the company said.
Cobalt and its Block 21 partners, including Sonangol, Nazaki Oil and Gaz, and Alper, planfurther drilling in the Mavinga structure, which the company estimates could contain a gross oil column of up to 650 ft (200 m) updip of the exploratory well. The field will eventually be developed as a tieback to the planned Cameia development, Cobalt said.
The Mavinga-1 well was temporarily abandoned and Diamond Offshore’sOcean Confidence rig was mobilized to begin drilling the Bicuar 1 well, also in Block 21.
10/29/2013
