London's Premier Oil PLC and partners have made an oil discovery on Northwest Natuna Block 1 in the Natuna Sea off Indonesia.
The Ande Ande Lumut-1 exploration well reached a total depth of 4,186 ft in mid-April. It logged oil pay and recovered oil samples from four sands of the Gabus formation, one of the main producing formations in the West Natuna basin. A test conducted through perforations at 3,798-3,840 ft encountered sand influx and subsequent water channeling, however, and was terminated without a sustained oil flow.
The well is in the Northwest Natuna Block 1 production sharing contract (PSC) area, 60 km north of partner Gulf Resources Ltd.'s Kakap PSC production facilities. It is the first well drilled on Northwest Natuna Block 1 and the first of seven oil exploration prospects on Gulf Resources' drilling schedule through March 2001.
Working interests in the Block 1 PSC are operator Premier, 50%; Gulf Resources, 30%; and Dana Petroleum PLC, 20%. Gulf Canada Resources Ltd., Calgary, holds a 72% interest in Jakarta-based Gulf Resources.
