Bangladesh
Niko Resources Ltd., Calgary, gauged a gas discovery on the 110,000-acre Feni Block 125 km southeast of Dhaka.
Two previously untested zones flowed gas on open hole drillstem tests, 10.1 MMcfd from 2,275-85 m and 3.5 MMcfd from 2,525-35 m. The well is to be cased and completed, and the company will test other formations through casing during completion.
Niko plans to start production from the Feni block within weeks and hopes to reach 40 MMcfd in the fourth quarter of 2004, said Octagon Capital Corp., Toronto. Niko said the next well will be directionally drilled at Feni to develop other deeper gas zones (OGJ Online, Nov. 26, 2003).
Libya
Total, Paris, said Libya's most recent offshore field to go on production should reach its plateau rate of 40,000 b/d of 32° gravity oil in the fourth quarter of 2004.
A group led by Total brought Al Jurf field, discovered in 1975, on production in August 2003. Al Jurf is in the Pelagian basin in 90 m of water 100 km off northwestern Libya in NC 137. It is in the Mediterranean southwest of giant Bouri oil and gas field and near Libya's maritime border with Tunisia.
Pay zones in Al Jurf field are the El Garia and Chouabine formations of Eocene age at 2,200 m subsea. The development program involves a platform with 10 producing wells and the 900,000 bbl Farwah floating production storage and offloading vessel.
NC 137 interests are Total 37.5%, Wintershall AG 12.5%, and Libyan National Oil Corp. 50%.
Bouri field, which started production in 1988, produces from shallower Tertiary Rheineche limestone.
Malaysia
Murphy Oil Corp., El Dorado, Ark., found what it called "significant oil and natural gas pay" in multiple reservoirs from its Kakap 1 deepwater exploration well on Block K off Sabah.
Kakap 1 was drilled in 3,037 ft of water. Operator Murphy Oil "subsequently sidetracked the discovery well and recovered full cores in each of the main reservoirs," said Pres. and CEO Claiborne P. Deming.
Murphy holds an 80% working interest in Block K, which covers more than 4 million acres. Petronas Carigali Sdn. Bhd., the exploration and production arm of Malaysia's state-owned Petronas, holds the remaining 20%.
Mississippi
Clayton Williams Energy Inc., Midland, Tex., staked a wildcat to Ordovician near Bradley, Miss.
The 1 Longview, in 20-18n-13e, Oktibbeha County, is to go to 15,700 ft, reported Southeastern Oil Review, Jackson, Miss. The site is more than 5 miles southeast of Maben field, which produces gas from Ordovician Knox and Pennsylvanian.
