Offshore staff
EDINBURGH, UK – Cairn Energy expects to start a two-well deepwater exploration program offshore Senegal next month.
The company’s three blocks (Sangomar Offshore, Sangomar Deep, and Rufisque) extend more than 7,490 sq km (2,892 sq mi) of near-shore to deepwater over the shelf, slope, and basin floor of the Mauritania-Senegal-Guinea-Bissau basin. The deeper water western portion of the acreage is covered by a 2,050-sq km (791-sq mi) 3D seismic survey.
Cairn’s initial FAN-1 well will be drilled on the North Fan prospect in 1,427 m (4,682 ft) of water, targeting multiple stacked deepwater fans interpreted as potentially thick, high-quality clastic reservoirs. The two largest could hold combined prospective resources of 617 MMbbl.
The second exploration well, SNE-1, to be drilled after operations on FAN-1 have been completed, will be on the Shelf Edge prospect in 1,100 m (3,609 ft) of water. It will target stacked Cretaceous clastics and deeper-lying karstified and fractured lower Cretaceous shelf carbonates. Combined resources could be 436 MMbbl.
Offshore Morocco, Cairn has agreed to farm into 20% of the Cap Boujdour permit operated by Kosmos Energy, subject to government approval. The concession covers 29,740 sq km (11,482 sq mi) in the Aaiun basin in water depths of 1,000-3,000 m (3,281-9,842 ft). It is covered by a regional 2D grid and 2,000 sq km (772 sq mi) of 3D seismic surveys.
Kosmos has identified several prospects within the 3D area, the largest of which is Gargaa, in water depths of around 2,135 m (7,004 ft), with prospective resources of 1 Bboe.
The drillshipAtwood Achiever is expected to begin drilling operations this fall, and the partner plans another 3D survey later this year.
Offshore northeastSpain, Cairn is seeking authorization for a 3D seismic survey over its licenses in the Valencia basin. To the east in Malta’s offshore Area 3 (blocks 1, 2, and 3), the company and partner Mediterranean Oil and Gas are preparing to acquire around 1,500 km (932 mi) of broadband 2D seismic.
03/18/2014
