Tullow set to sink Suriname exploration well early next year
Operator and partners line up Stena Drilling unit for much-anticipated wildcat
A consortium headed by Anglo-Irish independent Tullow Oil has confirmed plans to spud the Goliathberg Voltzberg North-1 prospect in Suriname’s offshore Block 47.
The planned well will be located in 1900 metres of water and drilled to a depth of 5400 metres below the mud-line, Ratio said.
The wildcat is targeting Cenomanian-Turonian reservoirs in an Upper Cretaceous play and is expected to take 60 days to drill at a gross cost of $55 million, Ratio stated.
Tullow, headed by chief executive Rahul Dhir, holds a 50% stake on Block 47, with a unit of Argentina’s Pluspetrol and Ratio Petroleum as non-operating partners, with stakes of 30% and 20%, respectively.
The decision to drill was based on interpretation of 3D seismic data acquired in 2012, Ratio said.
Ratio mentioned Stena Drilling as the owner of the rig booked for the operation, with other industry sources pointing to the drillship Stena Forth as the chosen rig.
The green light for a well in a much-fancied basin will give cheer to investors who have stuck with Tullow following recent disappointments with assets in Ghana and Guyana.
Apache and 50% block partner Total are planning appraisal and exploration drilling off Suriname next year, the US company has signalled.
Petronas has also announced plans to spud the Sloanea-1 prospect on Block 52 during the second half of the year, using the semi-submersible rig Maersk Developer.
The Malaysian company has been joined by ExxonMobil, following a 50% farm-in transaction concluded in May 2020.
ExxonMobil is also expected to spud a first well on Block 59 next year, with Hess and Equinor as partners.
Hess also has a non-operating stake in Block 42, where Kosmos Energy is also planning to drill next year.
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