An Apache Corp. group is evaluating an apparent gas discovery on Harriet Joint Venture acreage 8 km east of Varanus Island off Western Australia.
Ginger-1 on the TL/1 block cut 21 m gross, 13 m net, of gas pay in Jurassic sandstones at 2,413 m. TD is 2,497 m MD.
A short sidetrack was planned to core the reservoir, said 12.2% interest owner Tap Oil Ltd., Perth. Kufpec Australia Pty. Ltd. holds 19.3%.
The well intersected no water contact, and an appraisal well may be needed to evaluate an indicated downdip extension of the gas column, Tap said.
Bulgaria
Vintage Petroleum Inc., Tulsa, Okla., is processing 1,070 miles of 2D seismic data recorded in the second quarter of 2003 on the Bourgas-Deep Sea block in the western Black Sea.
The unexplored block covers nearly 2 million acres.
The work program also includes geologic studies of the two targeted play concepts: large Eocene anticlines and deepwater Oligocene and Miocene fan deposits. The permit's initial term expires in December 2005 and has provisions for extension.
Faroe Islands
ENI Denmark BV plans to plug and abandon the Marimas exploration well on Faroes License 002 in the Atlantic, said interest owner Faroe Petroleum.
The well was drilled to 3,847 m in 1,048 m of water. It drilled through all of the stratigraphic objectives the operator identified and encountered good reservoir-quality sandstones but only traces of hydrocarbons.
Faroe Petroleum noted that Faroes exploration is still in an early stage and said it remains confident of the presence of significant oil-bearing structures. Large oil companies have scheduled four more wildcats in the next 3 years.
Philippines
Interested companies have until Mar. 2, 2004, to bid for blocks in a licensing round administered by the Department of Energy.
Several dozen companies have shown interest in obtaining bid information on the nearly 50 offered blocks, press reports indicated.
Successful bidders are to be disclosed in May 2004.
Viet Nam
SOCO International PLC, London, said a vertical appraisal well 2 km from its Block 9-2 CNV-1X discovery well in the Cuu Long basin announced in September 2002 encountered basement at 3,940 m and penetrated a 1,000 m oil column (OGJ, Oct. 14, 2002, Newsletter).
This is twice as thick as the oil column intersected in the discovery well with no sign of formation water.
The CNV-2XA well appeared to still be in the oil column, with less evidence of basement fracturing, when it reached 5,068 m MTD. The well encountered oil 500 m below that in the discovery well.
A horizontal follow-up section is to be drilled toward Rang Dong oil field and away from the discovery well and is to be placed on long term test as the basis to declare commerciality.
SOCO Vietnam holds a 25% working interest in Block 9-2 and a 28.5% interest in Block 16-1. Its joint venturers are state Petrovietnam and PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Ltd. of Thailand. The blocks are contiguous to Bach Ho field, producing 250,000 b/d of oil and 150 MMcfd of gas, and Rang Dong field, producing 65,000 b/d of oil and 85 MMcfd of gas.
Kansas
Heartland Oil & Gas Corp., Vancouver, BC, has drilled and cased three new wells in a coalbed methane pilot program in the Engelke area of the Forest City basin.
A fourth well is to be cored and cased. The wells surround the Engelke 16-18 discovery well, which encountered 57 ft of coal, one of the thickest and deeper coal sections in the basin, the company said.
All of the wells had excellent gas shows, especially in the deeper coals.
The company has acquired CBM rights on 165,000 acres in the basin since 2001.
Evergreen Resources Inc., Denver, plans to purchase 43,000 net acres of nonproducing leases in the Forest City basin from Berry Petroleum Co., Bakerfield, Calif.
Berry said it will receive an undisclosed amount of cash covering its costs in this acreage and will retain an overriding royalty interest.
Closing is expected in the third quarter of 2003.
Berry Pres. and CEO Jerry V. Hoffman said his company holds "a significant position in nearby acreage and intends to pursue other coalbed methane opportunities."
The Cherokee and Forest City basins in eastern Kansas and western Missouri comprise part of the Western region of the Interior Coal Province. Coalbed gas presents a potential resource that could revitalize this region (OGJ, Dec. 23, 2002, p. 36).
Texas
Gulf Coast
Vintage Petroleum Inc., Tulsa, Okla., is pursuing company generated Oligocene and Miocene prospects based on 3D seismic and geochemical surveys.
The company has acquired five state leases that cover three shallow Texas state waters prospects this year within these targeted play concepts.
They are High Island 55-L (two tracts), and Mustang Island 860-L, 775-L, and 771-L.
Drilling should start to 8,200 ft in the fourth quarter of 2003 at the Tres prospect (HI 55-L), a Miocene gas exploration target coupled with redevelopment of Lower Miocene oil and gas sands.
The 2004 Wesson prospect (MI 775-L and 771-L) targets lower Frio gas sands at depths of 17,500-18,500 ft.