Offshore staff
LONDON– SOCO International has provided an update on its development and exploration programs offshore Vietnam.
Following the government’s approval of the revisedTGT full field development plan, drilling operations at the field in block 16-1 resumed last March.
Initially the jackupPetroVietnam Drilling VI drilled and completed the TGT-30P well, targeting Miocene and Oligocene reservoir horizons in the crestal part of the H1.1 fault block; and the TGT–29P infill well from the H5 wellhead platform on the southern part of the field.
This well employed smart completion technology to optimize hydrocarbons recovery.
The wells came online at respective rates of around 2,500 and 1,600 boe/d.
The third and final operation was the resumption of the TGT-14X step-out appraisal well on the H5 south fault block, initially spudded in 2015. The high angle and long reach well added was successfully drilled to total depth, but poor hole conditions prevented successful completion.
Smaller, non-standard drilling equipment will be needed to re-drill the reservoir section of the well, and this has been deferred to the next campaign.
Installation has been completed of new processing equipment on the H1-wellhead platform, but start-up of the water handling system encountered setbacks due to damaged valves and production stabilization issues.
The system is now functioning as expected, but a performance issue has also arisen on two gas compressors on the field’s FPSO. Evaluation of how to address this concern is under way.
Elsewhere, discussions are under way with Vietsovpetro, operator of the Bach Ho complex, which receives oil production from the CNV field in the western part of offshore block 9-2. These concern how best to enhance performance through modifications at the reception terminal.
Last year, fishing operations in the CNV-6PST1 well to recover wireline stuck in the completion were unsuccessful. Alternate operations for a workover are under review for execution in 2018, alongside a side track to an existing well to improve recovery from the field.
This year, SOCO and its partner plan modification works on the TGT FPSO and drilling of four wells, plus a further well on CNV.
Last October, SOCO signed a production-sharing contract forblocks 125 and 126, offshore central (eastern) Vietnam, with PetroVietnam and SOVICO Holdings, giving the company a 70% operated interest in each case.
The blocks are in moderate to deepwater in the Phu Khanh basin, north of the Cuu Long basin, with multiple structural and stratigraphic plays observed on the available seismic.
Initial activities will include reprocessing and interpretation of the seismic data, with a first exploration well following potentially in 2021-2022.
01/10/2018
