Offshore staff
LONDON – Cairn Energy has updated the status of its 2013/14 exploration drilling campaign offshore Morocco, where drilling began in late October.
The company’s FD-1 exploration well is in 1,500 m (4,921 ft) of water 120 km (75 mi) offshore Morocco in the Foum Draa block. Cairn has a 50% working interest (WI) and is the operator of the well. The primary target of the well was a Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous deepwater turbidite slope fan and channel complex.
The FD-1 well has reached TD of 5,255 m (17,241 ft) but has not encountered clastic reservoirs, although it has penetrated the oldest stratigraphic section of any deepwater exploration well along the Moroccan margin. Gas shows and gas composition ratios encountered in the well have confirmed an active thermogenic petroleum system. The well is now being P&A’d.
Cairn is the operator, through its wholly owned subsidiary Capricorn Exploration and Development Ltd., with joint venture partners ONHYM, San Leon Energy plc, Serica Energy plc, and Longreach Oil & Gas Ltd.
The next well in Cairn’s planned exploration program is in the Juby Maritime III block in Morocco (Cairn, 37.5% WI, operator) and it will target a Middle Jurassic carbonate prospect located in 100 m (328 ft) of water, where the primary objective is some 1,000 m (3,281 ft) below the 1969 Cap Juby oil discovery in the Upper Jurassic. Operations will begin on Cap Juby once the FD-1 well has been successfully P&A’d.
12/20/2013
