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Tuesday, 02 December, 2008, 00:20 GMT | more >>

Milho clues boost Roc’s Cabinda hopes



By Upstream staff 

Australia’s Roc Oil said results from the Milho-1 exploration well on Angola’s Cabinda South Block suggested the prolific pre-salt offshore structures in the country extended onshore.

Roc said the well, drilled 12 kilometres in land, had revealed a classic pre-salt sequence, with good source rock overlying a thick sand interval. It said oil shows logged in the source rock were not deemed commercial.

The company said the well was the second to demonstrate the pre-salt sequence onshore, suggesting the oil-prone sediments underlie much of the Cabinda South Block. It said the low oil flows stuck in the well may result from the well being drilled down-dip from the top of the structure.

Roc said the rig would now move 1.5 kilometres north to drill the Coco-1 well.

Roc said it had used reprocessed 3D data to determine the size of its shallow Massambala heavy oil discovery made in August last year. The data suggested the deposit covered about 24 square kilometres with a thickness of 24 metres, it said.

It said tests had suggested the deposit could hold up to 400 million barrels of heavy oil in place.

Roc said it was considering with its partners drilling several shallow appraisal wells on the field in the second half of the year, with a decision due by April.

Roc operates the Cabinda South Block, in Angola’s northern enclave of Cabinda, with a 60% stake, with partners Force Petroleum (20%) and Angolan state oil company Sonangol (20%).


Wednesday, 12 March, 2008, 01:36 GMT  | last updated: Wednesday, 12 March, 2008, 01:36 GMT

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