Vanguard spuds Tawoos-1 well in Egypt

May 30, 2000
Vanguard Oil Corp., Calgary, on Monday said it spudded the Tawoos-1 well on the western coast of the Gulf of Suez on the West Esh El Mallaha concession. The surface conductor has been set, and the well is drilling ahead. The total depth of 8,200 ft should be reached within 3 weeks of spud.


Vanguard Oil Corp., Calgary, on Monday said it spudded the Tawoos-1 well on the western coast of the Gulf of Suez on the West Esh El Mallaha (WEEM) concession. The surface conductor has been set, and the well is drilling ahead. The total depth of 8,200 ft should be reached within 3 weeks of spud.

Well costs for Tawoos-1 are estimated at $700,000. Vanguard will earn an 81% working interest in the exploration area of the concession by paying 100% of the costs of the first well and a second exploratory well that will be drilled immediately after completion of Tawoos-1.

The Tawoos prospect is part of a productive trend, mapped on 3D seismic, that includes the Wadi El Sahl field to the south of the WEEM concession and the Wadi El Sahl N-1 discovery on the WEEM concession within the structurally lowest fault block in the trend. The prospect is estimated to hold recoverable reserves of more than 40 million bbl and is part of a larger complex with the potential to contain about 150 million bbl of recoverable reserves, says Vanguard.

Vanguard says it and its partner, Norway-based Coplex Resources NL, have farmed out part of the WEEM concession outside of the development lease to UK-based Northern Petroleum PLC. Northern will earn an 80% working interest in any discoveries made within this area in return for bearing the costs of drilling up to three exploratory wells.

Meanwhile, in Colombia, Vanguard says that its Colombian subsidiary has reached an agreement with Pei Oil Production to carry out an extended production test of the Samarkanda-1 discovery on Chipalo block. It also will drill the Ankara-1 well to further test the Doima Chicoral trend established by the discovery well, drilled last year.