Capricornus well delivers light oil find for Rhino Resources offshore Namibia

Rhino Resources has confirmed a light oil discovery with its first exploration well offshore Namibia.

The Capricornus 1-X well, spudded by the drillship Noble Venturer in February on the Capricornus prospect in Block 2914 in the Orange Basin, reached total depth of 4,957 m TVDSS earlier this month after penetrating the Lower Cretaceous target.

The well encountered 38 m of net pay, with hydrocarbon samples and sidewall cores collected during wireline logging operations. During a production test, the well delivered a surface-constrained flow rate of more than 11,000 bbl/d of ~37°API oil on a 40/64-inch choke, with limited volumes of associated gas (less than 2% CO₂ conent and no hydrogen sulfide).

Rhino and its partners in the PEL85 joint venture will send the collected fluid samples for studies at a laboratory. The well will be temporarily plugged and abandoned, with the drillship released.

Rhino CEO Travis Smithard said, “The results of the comprehensive wireline and drillstem testing programs have proven the existence of a high-quality light-oil bearing reservoir, with no observed water contact.”

He commended the service companies involved for having “ensured the safe and successful drilling of two consecutive deepwater wells in a challenging geological environment.”  

The company and partners Azule Energy (the bp/Eni joint venture in Angola), NAMCOR and Korres will use the results from the well and laboratory analysis to determine their next exploratory plans for the block.