After a brief hiatus in drilling in early 2015, W&T Offshore Inc. has logged 149 ft of net oil pay in five zones in its Mahogany field on Ship Shoal Block 359 in the Gulf of Mexico. The SS 349 A-18 well was drilled on the western side of the field to extend the productive limit of the “T” sand, which was discovered in July 2013 by the A-14 well (OGJ Online, July 26, 2013).
“We are benefitting from our recent analysis of our new wide-azimuth seismic data over the field,” said Tracy Krohn, W&T chairman and chief executive officer. The new data provides clearer imaging for Mahogany’s subsalt formations.
In addition to confirming the “T” sand’s presence on the field’s west side, the A-18 well also logged and penetrated four additional pay sands. The operator ran casing to the target “T” sand and drilled a further 950 ft to a TVD of 20,000 ft. The exploratory tail tested seismic reflectors imaged with its newest 3D seismic data and discovered an additional pay interval in the deeper “U” sand. By design, the A-18 well penetrated the field’s “P” and “Q” sands in the highest structural position in the field’s history.
Core data from the A-18 well is expected to confirm the “T” sand’s flow potential, which is expected to have permeability of more than one darcy, Krohn said.
The oil-bearing “U” sand marks the operator’s deepest producing interval, and W&T plans to evaluate opportunities to extend its presence across the field and in the field’s vertical oil column.
The A-18 well, which will be completed in the main objective Upper “T” sand, is expected to begin producing in this year’s first quarter. The company said the completion will be set up for a low-cost future recompletion to the untested deep “U” sand. Three additional sands in the “P” and “Q” intervals will be exploited as future recompletions or will be considered for further development well locations to accelerate value.
W&T Offshore acquired Apache Corp.’s interest in Mahogany field effective Jan. 1, 2008 (OGJ Online, Dec. 27, 2007). The operator holds 100% working interest in the Mahogany field.
Contact Tayvis Dunnahoe at [email protected].
