Albania
Lundin Albania Ltd., a unit of Lundin Oil AB, Stockholm, submitted its notice of withdrawal from Block 2 onshore.
The Shpiragu-1 well spudded on the Block in November 2000 was drilling ahead at 4,500 m in mid-June. Lundin Oil decided on the basis of an intermediate logging run at 4,050 m that the well will not meet the company's economic threshold at current depth or deeper. Lundin Albania Ltd. maintains a 20% interest in one other block in Albania.
Angola
ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Exploration Angola (Block 24) completed drilling the Semba-1 wildcat well on Block 24.
Semba-1 encountered two oil-bearing reservoirs that flowed at a combined test rate of 3,039 b/d. Semba-1 was spudded Feb. 21 and is the first well drilled on the block. The well, 230 miles southwest of Luanda, was drilled to 12,300 ft TD in 3,800 ft of water.
Germany
Denerco Oil AS, operator, and Intrepid Energy North Sea Ltd. each acquired 50% interests in the B 20 008/64 license, at 5,776 sq km Germany's largest offshore license.
The license is south of the Danish part of the North Sea Central graben.
Private Denerco, Horsholm, Denmark, holds interests in oil and gas production from Lulita and Syd Arne fields and gas production from Siri field. It holds interests in 13 other licenses.
Iran
Iranian state television announced the discovery of South Gashvieh gas field on land near Bandar Abbas.
Startup was expected at 350-420 MMcfd of gas by 2004, the report said. No reserve estimate was given.
Pakistan
The government awarded an oil and gas exploration license to a joint venture headed by Orient Petroleum Inc.
Karak Block 3370-5 is in the Kohat basin of the North West Frontier Province. The venture plans to invest $2.6 million in a 3-year exploration program that will include geological and geophysical surveys and the drilling of a well.
OPI owns 90% of the JV, Zaver Petroleum Corp. Ltd. owns 5%, and Pakistani Government Holdings owns a 5% carried interest. OPI operates five other concessions in Pakistan.
Sri Lanka
Acquisition began in early June on the country's first marine seismic survey in nearly 20 years.
Ceylon Petroleum Co. and TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. are acquiring 1,200 km of nonexclusive deepwater data in the Gulf of Mannar between Sri Lanka and India. A second phase is to begin in November 2001.
The country plans to launch a licensing round in early 2002 covering the Gulf of Mannar and southern Cauvery basin.
British Columbia
Alberta Energy Co. Ltd., Calgary, said its Ladyfern gas discovery in Northeast British Columbia went on line May 17 and is producing more than 150 MMcfd.
AEC owns 100% of the field, in a remote area 62 miles north of Fort St. John, BC. It said Ladyfern has increased the company's production to more than 1.5 bcfd, making it the first Canadian company to reach that level. AEC was already Canada' largest gas producer.
AEC said its daily production is now 40% higher than the average for 2000. It expects sales to average 1.2 bcfd in the second quarter and hit 1.9 bcfd by yearend. It also expects to inject about 13 bcf of gas in the second quarter in a storage facility in southeastern Alberta.
Nova Scotia
The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board opened nine offshore blocks covering 3.95 million acres for bids on exploration licenses.
The lands are in the coastal area from the Gulf of Maine to the Cabot Strait. Minimum bid is $1 million (Can.). Bids will be accepted until Nov. 1.
Winners will be awarded a two-part exploration license. The term can be extended to 9 years if companies drill and complete a well in an initial period.
Gulf of Mexico
Murphy Oil Corp. said it found more reserves with its Front Runner South sidetrack on Green Canyon Block 339.
The Front Runner prospect is on blocks 338 and 339 in 3,500 ft of water. The discovery well found 850 ft of pay, and Murphy drilled a sidetrack that confirmed the existence of other pays downdip (OGJ Online, Mar. 27, 2001).
Murphy then sidetracked the discovery well to the Front Runner South prospect (OGJ Online, May 24, 2001). The hole was drilled to 21,359 ft TD (20,072 ft TVD) and cut more than 400 net ft of hydrocarbons in two zones.
Murphy said the reserve estimate is now expected to exceed the earlier projection of 40-60 million boe. It was considering several appraisal options for Front Runner South.
Interests are Murphy, operator, 37.5%, Dominion Exploration & Production 37.5%, and Spinnaker Exploration 25%.
Alabama
The only well in Little River Lake field continues at high flow rates nearly three years after initial completion.
The Tepco Resources Inc. 1 Blacksher 32-10, in 32-4n-6e, Monroe County, averaged 695 b/d of oil in February 2001 from Smackover perforations at 14,159-208 ft.
Seneca Resources Corp. original completed the well, 2 miles west of Vocation field. Initial completion rate was 444 b/d of 54.3°gravity oil and 345 Mcfd of gas, reported Southeastern Oil Review, Jackson.
Montana
Encore Acquisition Co., Fort Worth, set capital spending for 2001 at $75 million, including $61 million to be spend on drilling along the Cedar Creek anticline.
Encore was conducting a six-rig drilling program in that area of southeastern Montana.
The company said it spend $14.6 million in first quarter 2001.