China
China National Offshore Oil Corp. has signed a production sharing contract under which ROC Oil (Bohai) Co. will explore a block in southern Bohai Gulf.
Block 09/05 covers 355 sq km in 4-10 m of water 50 km southeast of Tianjin. ROC will shoot 3D seismic and drill exploratory wells, bearing the entire expense during the exploration period. CNOOC has the right to participate with a 51% working interest in any commercial discovery.
Indonesia
AWE Ltd., Sydney, said the Atlas-1 exploratory well in the East Java basin is to be plugged and abandoned at present depth of 613 m having encountered gas with a high percentage of carbon dioxide.
The well is in the Titan production sharing contract in the East Java Sea 35 km northeast of the Lengo gas discovery. Participants in the Titan PSC are AWE operator with 40% interest, Baruna Oil and Gas Ltd. 25%, Mitra Energy (Indonesia Titan) Ltd. 25%, and PT Sillo Maritime Perdana 10%.
Niko Resources Ltd., Calgary, has moved the Hercules 208 jackup to the Ratnadewi-1 prospect from Candralila-1 on the Lhokseumawe block in Indonesia.
Niko plugged and abandoned Candralila-1 without reaching target depth due to mechanical problems. The well had oil and gas shows while drilling, and partial logs recovered had indications of potential prospectivity. Information from the Ratnadewi-1 well will assist in determining prospectivity for Candralila-1, Niko said.
The Discoverer Seven Seas drillship is scheduled to spud the Lebah prospect on the North Ganal block in Indonesia in August after the completion of its current drilling location.
Meanwhile, in Trinidad, the Rowan Gorilla III jackup has spudded the Shadow-1 prospect on the 2(ab) block.
New Zealand
New Zealand invited bids by Oct. 15 for 23 exploratory blocks that cover 40,198.5 sq km of seabed and 3,305.5 sq km of land in Waikato, Taranaki, Tasman, the West Coast, and Southland.
New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals, a branch of the Ministry of Economic Development, chose the blocks based on current knowledge of the geology and oil and gas prospectivity. New Zealand has a no penalty seismic option approach to acreage allocation, favorable fiscal terms, and is noted for an outstanding business climate, the ministry said.
Norway
TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. has begun shooting a 2,400 sq km multiclient 3D seismic survey in the Barents Sea offshore Norway.
The survey covers five blocks in the southwestern Barents Sea, four of which four are in quad 7017 and one is in quad 7018. All blocks are proposed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy to be included in the 22nd license round on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
The M/V Polar Duchess is towing 10 x 6,000 m streamer with 75 m separation. Fast track data will be available in time to perform interpretation for the 22nd round. Data processing will be performed by TGS and available to clients Q3 2012.
Papua New Guinea
Esso Highlands Ltd. has spudded the Trapia-1 exploratory well in PRL 11 in Papua New Guinea 13 km east of Angore gas field and 23 km east of Hides gas field.
Primary objectives are the Toro and Digimu sandstones. Oil Search Ltd., Sydney, has 52.5% interest and is drilling the well under contract with operator Esso Highlands with 47.5%.
Trapia is a structure in PRL 11 that may if proven overlap into PPL 277, said New Guinea Energy Ltd., Sydney. NGE in March sold PPL 277 to Esso PNG Exploration Ltd. and Oil Search under terms that include a royalty to NGE if commercial production occurs.
The transaction is subject to a number of license-specific conditions and ministerial approval. The drilling of Trapia-1 is the first exploratory activity near PPL 277, NGE said.
UK
Apache North Sea Ltd. has spudded a well on the Tryfan prospect on Block 3/17 in the UK northern North Sea, said Valiant Petroleum PLC.
Valiant said Tryfan is an Eocene channelized sand play with a strong seismic amplitude response. Tryfan has a gross prospective resource estimated internally by Valiant at a gross 24 million bbl of oil equivalent. Drilling time is estimated at 25 days. Valiant's interest is 33.33%.
Gulf of Mexico
Cobalt International Energy Inc., Houston, plans to plug its Ligurian-2 exploratory well in 5,500 ft of water on Green Canyon Block 814 in the Gulf of Mexico after it penetrated all of the targeted Miocene formations without encountering commercial hydrocarbons.
Cobalt will move the Ensco 8503 semisubmersible to its North Platte-1 exploratory location in 4,300 ft of water on Garden Banks Block 959. North Platte is a large four-way Inboard Lower Tertiary structure that lies within Cobalt's greater North Platte complex, consisting of the North Platte prospect and four adjacent Inboard Lower Tertiary prospects.
The North Platte well, expected to take 5-6 months to drill and evaluate, is 40 miles northwest of Cobalt's Shenandoah discovery.
Meanwhile, Cobalt continues drilling its Cameia-2 appraisal well on Block 21 off Angola and expects to announce results in 30-60 days.
After completing Cameia-2, the Diamond Ocean Confidence semisubmersible will be released to another operator for 120 days to drill one well offshore Congo. The rig will then return to drill Cobalt's next two Angolan presalt wells. Cobalt is evaluating bids for more rig capacity for its 2013+ Angolan presalt campaign. A rig is to be chosen in the third quarter of 2012.
North Dakota
3D Geophysical Inc., Houston, has reached agreement with the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation to conduct a three component 3D seismic survey covering 1000 sq miles of the reservation.
The survey will be divided into three phases, some of which will be conducted simultaneously. The survey will image the Bakken, Three Forks, and other producing oil formations.
3D Geophysical has begun permitting, and acquisition is set for the fall and winter of 2012.
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