Carnarvon said its operator, Pan Orient Energy, had stopped drilling the POE-9A well at a depth of 1171 metres after major fluid losses and oil and gas shows associated with intense geological fracturing or a volcanic cavern in an untested objective struck at 1143 metres.
Pan Orient planned to open-hole test the well over the next seven to 10 days.
The appraisal, being drilled about 130 metres from the POE-9 discovery well, was previously cased and logged at a depth of 1134 metres after circulation was lost within a 65-metre interval in an overlying volcanic target.
Carnarvon
