Australia
Australian Geological Survey Organisation is preparing to release the results of studies of hydrocarbon migration and natural seepage in three offshore areas:
- The Great Australian Bight extending more than 3,000 km from the Eyre and Recherche sub-basins in the west to the Duntroon sub-basin in the east.
- Southern and western Timor Sea and northern Browse basin extending from the western Sahul platform and central Timor trough to northern Browse.
- A small area in the northeastern Yampi shelf and southern Vulcan sub-basin consisting of the Heywood-Cornea-Londonderry/Skua-Eclipse area.
Egypt
A Tanganyika Oil Co. group plans to appraise an oil discovery on the West Gharib block in the Gulf of Suez.
Hana-1 flowed at rates averaging 500 b/d of 25.8° gravity oil without water from Middle Miocene Kareem perforations at 4,868-88 ft when assisted with a nitrogen string set at 2,500 ft. Higher rates were expected on artificial lift.
Cased hole logs indicated 60 ft of net pay in a gross 116 ft section. The company perforated the uppermost 20 ft of sand. TD is 7,415 ft. The Farha-1 appraisal well will go to 5,800 ft to evaluate Miocene.
New Zealand
Exploratory drilling could start soon in the Canterbury basin on the southeast side of the South Island.
Pacrim Energy NL, Brisbane, is seeking partners to drill a wildcat on the Galleon South prospect on PEP 38254 off Otago (see map, OGJ, Dec. 15, 1997, p. 57). Galleon South is 28 km offshore in 110 m of water.
Viet NamBVietnam American Exploration Co. of the U.S. signed a 30 year production sharing contract with PetroVietnam covering two blocks 217 miles southeast of the southern coast.
The companies will not explore until Viet Nam and Indonesia resolve boundary claims in the area, said Melvin Jackson, Vamex president.
The blocks, totaling 2,750 sq miles, are adjacent to Lan Tay and Lan Do gas fields operated by BP Amoco, Statoil, and India's ONGC. The fields on Block 6 hold an estimated 2 tcf of gas in 125-180 m of water about 350 km from the mainland (see map, OGJ, Sept. 26, 1994, p. 40)
Tunisia
Production has been building from Sidi el Kilani oil field, the country's second largest in terms of output, on the North Kairouan Permit.
Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. and ETAP's joint venture, Kairouan Petroleum Co., said the field produced 14,702 b/d in 1998, about 2,000 b/d more than predicted.
The companies discovered the field in April 1989, and production began in December 1992. Cumulative production is 29.89 million bbl.
Kairouan started up an 8 in., 123 km pipeline from the field to the port of La Skhirra earlier this year.
Ontario
Range Petroleum Corp., Calgary, plans to shoot six 3D seismic surveys this month over 13 Silurian pinnacle reef prospects in the Michigan basin in Ontario and Michigan.
The reefs are near Detroit and lie mostly in Lambton County, Ont., and St. Clair and Macomb counties, Mich. The company has identified more than 300 such reefs.
Range, the largest onshore landholder in Ontario with 100% working interest in more than 137,000 acres, plans to drill prospective reefs through joint ventures.
Gulf of Mexico
Main Pass Block 226 field is producing 44 MMcfd of gas and 350 b/d of condensate from six wells, said Nippon Oil Exploration USA Ltd., Houston.
The most recent completion, A6, flowed 11 MMcfd of gas from Tex W-2 sand perforations at 12,800-850 ft and 12,875-92 ft. Interests are Nippon and Pogo Producing Co. 50-50.
Stone Energy Corp., Lafayette, La., believes it has established what will become the first production on South Timbalier Block 71.
The company is preparing a deck and flow lines for the 2 OCS-G-14519 well, with casing set to TD 13,400 ft. Logs indicated 35 net ft of oil sand. Flow to a company facility on South Pelto Block 23 is to start in December 1999.
Stone plans to drill three wells in Eugene Island 243 field in the next 18 months starting with a 14,000 ft test to spud this month.
The company placed on production the D-1 well, formerly No. 9 well, flowing an estimated 1,085 b/d of 40° gravity oil and 2.6 MMcfd of gas on an 11/64 in. choke with 6,422 psi flowing pressure from the deepest productive sand. Shut-in pressure is 6,520 psi.
The well encountered seven productive sands with a combined 311 net ft of productive interval.
Oryx Energy Co. filed a plan of exploration that calls for the drilling of five wildcats on Keathley Canyon blocks 25, 26, and 69, leased in August 1998, in 4,465-4,730 ft of water.
Only one wildcat has been drilled in the Keathley Canyon area, IHS Energy Group reported. That was by BP Exploration on Block 255 in 1991, dry at TD 21,550 ft.
Louisiana
Meridian Resource Corp., Houston, has a discovery in the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge 35 miles southeast of Lake Charles.
Cased hole logs at the 1 State Lease 16067, in 19-16s-3w, Cameron Parish, showed potential pay in three Marginulina sands below 18,000 ft. TD is 20,000 ft. Meridian was attempting to complete an interval that tested at rates of as much as 5.1 MMcfd of gas and 3,418 b/d of water with 7,400 psi FTP.
The company was evaluating remedial work to address water channeling behind pipe. Burlington Resources Inc. holds a 50% interest.
Meridian Resource Corp. planned to move a rig from Cameron Parish east to Assumption Parish to drill 1 Breaux in what appears to be a separate fault block and structure adjacent to the company's recent discovery at North Turtle Bayou/Ramos field.
The discovery well, 1 Thibodaux, cut more than 223 ft of pay in three Miocene Operculina sands below 17,500 ft. Completion was in the deepest, with 61 gross and net ft of pay at 19,124-185 ft.
Stabilized flow in late April was 12.7 MMcfd of gas with 1,224 b/d of condensate with 13,285 psi FTP on a 16/64 in. choke. Burlington Resources is a participant.
Meridian suspended production from the discovery well as a precaution after the first offset, 2 Thibodaux, 2 miles southeast of Amelia, blew out June 25 during completion and apparently was ignited the same evening by lightning. It bridged over on July 3.
New Mexico
Vintage Petroleum Inc., Tulsa, plans to drill a remote wildcat in northwestern Chaves County. The 1 Thompson Canyon Ranch, in 31-4s-23e, 40 miles northwest of Boaz, is projected to 5,110 ft. The site is 5 miles east-northeast of Pecos Slope North field, an Abo gas area, IHS reported.
Oklahoma
Texaco Exploration & Production Inc. sought 640 acre spacing on a large, practically undrilled area of 16,000 acres in the western Arkoma basin.
The Pittsburg County area consists of the southern half of Township 3n-16e plus adjoining sections to the north and west, IHS reported. The area is south of Ti North and Ti Northwest gas fields, drilled in the 1980s.
Texas
Gulf Coast
Belco Oil & Gas Corp., New York, plans to spud a third well in the third quarter on its HLM project area, site of a 141 sq mile proprietary 3D seismic survey.
The first two wells are gas discoveries to be on line by end August. They are the 1 Hightower, 2.8 MMcfd on a 16/64 in. choke with 1,820 psi FTP, and 1 Smith, 1.8 MMcfd on a 16/64 in. choke with 1,812 psi FTP, both from Eocene Yegua channel sands at about 5,650 ft as indicated on the 3D data.
Both wells are south of Cleveland in Liberty County. The late 1998 3D survey, which included parts of Montgomery County, was aimed at Frio, Yegua, and Wilcox targets.
Utah
Ranken Energy Corp., Edmond, Okla., staked four wildcats to Cretaceous Mesaverde in the Uinta basin.
The wells, in 16, 21, 22, and 18-12s-23e, Uintah County, are projected to 6,200 ft, IHS reported. This area is 19-21 miles south-southwest of Bonanza and within 3 miles south-southwest of an unnamed gas field on the Hanging Rock Federal Unit.
Wyoming
Wyoming State Geological Survey, Laramie, published Oil and Gas Map of the Greater Green River Basin and Overthrust Belt. It shows oil and gas fields, pipelines, gas plants, and refineries, and lists productive reservoirs for each field.