Thailand’s national upstream company PTTEP has spudded the latest in a string of keenly watched exploration and appraisal wells offshore Malaysia where it is hoping to continue its success of late with the drill bit, firming up more hydrocarbons for a proposed cluster development.
Borr Drilling’s rig Gunnlod is drilling the Sirung-2 appraisal well located on Block SK 405B offshore Sarawak, East Malaysia.
The successful Sirung-1 wildcat that was spudded in January 2021 discovered both oil and gas.
Sirung-1 was drilled to a total depth of 2538 metres where it encountered a significant oil and gas column of more than 100 metres in the clastic reservoirs.
The Sirung-2 well is expected to complete around 15 March, according to a notice from the Malaysia Coast Guard.
Block SK 405B is located in shallow waters approximately 137 kilometres offshore Bintulu. PTTEP operates the acreage with 59.5% participating interest and its partners are Japan’s Moeco (Mitsui) on 25.5% and Malaysia’s national upstream company Petronas Carigali having a 15% stake.
Prior to the Sirung appraisal well, the Liberia-flagged jack-up Gunnlod had completed PTTEP’s Mong Merah-1 wildcat on shallow-water Block SK 314A, also off the coast of the state of Sarawak.
Mong Merah-1 was drilled as a tight hole and the operator has yet to comment on its outcome.
Blocks SK 314A, SK 438 and SK 405B comprise PTTEP’s Southern Sarawak cluster.
Block SK 438 is home to the operator’s 2021 Kulintang-1 gas discovery while Block SK 405B contains its successful Sirung-1 well.
PTTEP’s ongoing E&A drilling campaign offshore Sarawak is being supported by three Malaysia-flagged vessels — Jasa Merin’s large anchor-handling supply vessels JM Setia and JM Sepoi, and Executive Offshore’s platform supply vessel Executive Courage.
