Asia/Pacific

Bangladesh's first well in two decades

Cairn's Sangu-1 wildcat in Block 16 in the offshore part of the Bengal Basin has reached an undisclosed TD and is currently preparing to begin a testing program. The well was spudded on 6 December 1995 using Reading & Bates's Ron Tappmeyer jackup. Sangu #1 represents the first drilling offshore Bangladesh since BODC's BODC #3 in 1978.

Total beginning major Burma drilling program

Total has spudded the first well in an important five-well program in Blocks M-5 and M-6 in the northern Gulf of Martaban. Operations at the M-5-A-1 wellsite commenced on 17 January using Santa Fe Drilling's Parameswara jackup. the well, which lies approximately eight km south of the Yadana Field in 50 meters of water, had by late January reached a TD of approximately 1,585 metres and is logging prior to a testing program beginning. Following this well, Total will drill the M-6-D-1, Badamyar-1, and M-6-A-1 wildcats, as well as an appraisal well on the Yadana Field.

China PSCs progressing, areawidedrilling ongoing [27881 bytes]

On 23 January, Kerr McGee signed a seven-year PSC for the 1,680 sq km Block 05/36 in the Bohai Gulf. The tract, which represents the company's fourth operated license in the offshore China sector, is located directly to the east of PSCA 04/36 and covers part of the ex-BP PSCA 10/15. In the new license, equity is split between Kerr McGee (50%) Huffco (35%), and Setsco (15%). While Setsco is a 10% partner in PSCA 04/36, Huffco's involvement is believed to be its first in an Asian country outside of Indonesia. Work commitments for the new license are for 350 km of new seismic acquisition and one well in the first (three-year) exploration phase.

Apache and partner XCL have decided to enter the second exploration phase of the contract covering the Zhao Dong Block in the shallow water area of the western Bohai Gulf. This will run from 1 May through 30 April 1998 and has a commitment of at least two exploration wells. Apache has two wells planned for 1996, the first of which (the ZDF #1 wildcat) will represent the last of the first-phase drilling obligations.

In PSCA 34/02 in the East China Sea, Esso plugged and abandoned wildcat TB 8-1-1 without testing on 10 January, after a TD of 2,705 meters (some 1,000 meters short of the predicted depth) was attained. The Nanhai 5 semisubmersible was then moved to PSCA 33/31 to spud wildcat FZ 2-1-1 for Texaco on 14 January. This reached a TD of 2,157 meters in basement before being plugged and abandoned dry on or around 25 January.

CONHW abandoned appraisal WZ 12-1-4 in the Beibu Gulf on 21 January, after a maximum flow of 2,585 b/d oil and 2.01 million cf/d gas was recorded from an undisclosed section. Meanwhile, Yinggehai Basin wildcat LT 1-1-1 was abandoned on 8 January after flowing 3.46 million cf/d gas from a section at approximately 2,000 meters depth. The well has been drilled to a TD of 3,394 meters.

Indonesia's Irian Jaya gasdiscoveries continue [24922 bytes]

In the Berau PSC in the offshore Bintuni Basin of western Irian Jaya, Arco's important wildcat Wiriagar Deep-2 tested at a combined rate of approximately 110 million cf/d gas and 460 b/d condensate from six DSTs. The well was then temporarily abandoned on 9 December 1995 at a TD of 2,973 meters. The well is located in 48 meters of water, some 15 km southeast of the Wiriagar Deep #1 location (in the onshore Wiriagar PSC) and was drilled by the Deep Sea Ice drillship. Following the Wiriagar Deep-2 well, the rig was moved some five km south-southeast to spud appraisal Wiriagar Deep-4 out of sequence on 10 December. After reaching a TD of 2,933 meters the well has reportedly tested 18 million cf/d gas in an ongoing testing program.

Malaysian oil and gas finds by Esso, Carigali

In the Malay Basin, Esso (EPMI) has plugged an abandoned two wells as discoveries. Angsi-4 in the Phase II Gas Fields area reached a TD of 2,660 meters in early October 1995 and was plugged and abandoned as a gas well on 8 December; no DST results were released. The well is presumed to have targeted Miocene sandstones. Immediately following the Angsi-4 well, Esso spudded the Tapis-14 delineation in the 1995 PSC. After drilling to a TD of 2,189 meters in sidetracked hole, the well was plugged and abandoned (presumably as an oil well) on 4 January. No tests were conducted. Meanwhile, in PM-302, also in the Malay Basin, Carigali is reportedly preparing to test exploration well Bergading Deep-1 after reaching a TD of 3,180 meters in early January.

Philippines grantsGSEC83 to Occidental [23452 bytes]

On 6 December, Occidental was awarded the deepwater GSEC 83 tract in the Northwest Palawan Basin. The contract is comprised of three sub-blocks totaling 7,918 sq km, which correspond to a large part of the GSECs relinquished by Oxy in 1995. Block A covers 4,411 sq km, Block B 862 sq km, and Block C 2,645 sq km, with the participants in each sub-block varying significantly. The contract is thought to be for a 12-month exploration term with the option of conversion to a service contract available at the end of the period. Oxy's work program consists of a minimum 250 km seismic survey and one commitment well, plus one additional exploration well.

Another gas find in Malay-Thai JDA

In Block B-17 of the Malaysia-Thailand JDA, CPOC plugged and abandoned wildcat Tapi-1 as a gas discovery on 25 January. The well, which was spudded on 12 November 1995, using the Actinia semisubmersible, was drilled to a TD of 2,800 meters and tested approximately 9 million cf/d gas from an undisclosed section.

Vietnam's 15-2 continues to prove itself

JVPC suspended delineation well 15-2-RD-2X (ST) on 1 January after it flowed 7,159 b/d of 37.7 API oil from basement. The well was spudded on 31 July 1995 using JDC's Hakuryu V semisubmersible and was the second of the current four-well firm plus three options drilling program.