AFRICA

Pioneer Natural Resources made its fourth discovery in the Jenein Nord Block in Tunisia. Multiple productive zones were tested in the Shaheen No. 1 well with gross rates totaling 8,000 BOEPD. In the Jenein Nord Block, Pioneer has drilled four wells, which have been tested at a combined multizone gross rate of 30,000 BOEPD.
Sonangol and Total made two oil discoveries in ultradeepwater offshore Angola. Drilled in a water depth of 1594 m, the Cominhos-1 well encountered Upper and Lower Oligocene oil-bearing reservoirs. The well was tested from a selected Lower Oligocene interval and produced 6,258 BOPD. This discovery is located in the northeastern part of Block 32, 18 km north of the Caril-1 discovery. Drilled in a water depth of 1806 m, the Louro-1 well found both Miocene and Oligocene oil-bearing reservoirs. This discovery is located in the southern part of Block 32, 4.5 km west of the Salsa-1 discovery.
Sonangol and BP announced the Cordelia oil discovery in ultradeepwater Block 31, offshore Angola. The well is located 3.5 km to the southeast of the Miranda discovery. Cordelia was drilled in a water depth of 2308 m, 371 km northwest of Luanda, and reached a total depth of 4040 m. The well was tested at a flow rate of 2,063 BOPD.
Roc Oil started drilling the Massambala-1 exploration well in the Cabinda South Block, onshore Angola. Massambala-1, a directionally drilled well located on the coastal plain south of Cabinda City, is the first well of a minimum five-well exploration-drilling program to be operated by Roc onshore Angola. It is anticipated that Massambala-1 will reach a total depth of 2185 m.

ASIA

Aabar Petroleum Investments completed drilling and testing operations on the Mengoepeh South-1 exploration well in the Tungkal production-sharing contract onshore Sumatra, Indonesia. Mengoepeh South-1 was drilled to 1502 m. Four drillstem tests were conducted on the well and flowed at a combined rate of 2,065 BOPD. The Mengoepeh South-1 well is located 2.5 km from the existing Mengoepeh oil field.
Xinjiang Oilfield found a gas field in Karamay of Xinjiang. The gas field is located at the southern edge of the Junggar basin, with a daily gas output of 1.47 million m3. With total reserves of the field estimated at nearly 30 billion m^3, this is Xinjiang’s largest gas field.
PTTEP reported that the appraisal well Zawtika-3, located in the southeastern Zawtika-1A field, reached a total depth of 2274 m and encountered eight zones of natural-gas-bearing formation. The flow-rate testing was conducted on one selected zone, indicating maximum natural-gas-flow rates of 26.68 MMscf/D.
Reliance Industries made two discoveries offshore India, the KG-D6-R1 in Block KG DWN 98/3 (KG D6) and the GS01 B1 in Block GS-OSN-2000/1 (GS01). The KG-D6-R1 is located at a water depth of 2010 m and was drilled to 4860 m. The well encountered two gas-bearing zones, and the data obtained from logging and modular dynamic testing confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons in Miocene/Pliocene intervals. The GS01 B1, off the west coast of Gujarat, in the Saurashtra basin of India, was drilled to 78 m. Formation evaluation including the modular dynamic testing confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons in a Middle Miocene carbonate reservoir.

EUROPE

Ascent Resources started drilling the VAM-1 exploration well. VAM-1 is the second of two option wells in the Nyirseg exploration permits of northeast Hungary. The planned total depth of the well is 1775 m. The well will test prospects in both the Miocene and Pannonian formations in the Vamospercs area, approximately 18 km to the southwest of the Peneszlek field.
Statoil made an oil discovery in the North Sea’s Ermintrude prospect. Recoverable reserves are estimated at 50 million bbl. Wildcat 15/6-9 S in Block 15/6 lies 10 km north of the Sleipner area. The well was drilled in a water depth of 114 to 3850 m. The interval was found to contain light oil in sandstones of the Middle Jurassic. A small gas find was also proved in Tertiary sandstones.
Norsk Hydro drilled wildcat Well 35/11-15 S with sidetrack Well 35/11-15 ST5 in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. The objective of the well was to examine the oil and gas potential in a prospect called H-Nord, near the Fram field in the North Sea.

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Aramco discovered two oil fields south of Al-Ghawar field in the eastern region of the Kingdom. Wells drilled at the fields, located south of Dhahran, tested at flow rates of 5,600 and 5,569 BOPD of heavy crude oil. Appraisal wells also recorded flows of 2 and 8.2 MMcf/D of natural gas at the two fields.
Oil and Gas Development discovered hydrocarbons with the exploratory Thora Deep Well No. 1, located in the Thora and Thora East Mining Lease in the Hyderabad District of Pakistan’s Sindh Province. The well was drilled to 3906 m. On the basis of openhole logs, two zones of massive sands of the Lower Goru formation were selected for testing.

NORTH AMERICA

Noble Energy and BP made a hydrocarbon discovery in an exploration well that tested its Isabela prospect in the Gulf of Mexico. The well is located on Mississippi Canyon Block 562 in 6,500 ft of water, approximately 150 miles southeast of New Orleans. The well was drilled to 19,100 ft into Miocene sands. The well encountered hydrocarbons in two high-quality reservoirs.

SOUTH AMERICA

Gran Tierra Energy drilled, logged, and cased a new-field wildcat well in the Chaza Block, Putumayo basin, in southern Colombia. Significant hydrocarbons were encountered, and a testing program is planned. Gran Tierra reported that its Costayaco-1 well reached a total measured depth of 8,570 ft. The well encountered reservoir-quality sandstones with oil and gas shows in four zones.