Occidental of Albania (Onshore-2) Ltd. spudded Shpiragu-1 well on Block 2 in the Barat region, 112 km southeast of Tirana, Albania. The well will be drilled to 4,700 m. Occidental owns 50% of the block; Lundin Oil AB subsidiary Lundin Albania Ltd. holds 20%; and Forest Oil International, a unit of Forest Oil Corp.
PrimeEnergy Corp. said an exploratory well on Main Pass 114 block off Louisiana was a dry hole. The company will take a charge of $1.1 million in costs related to the well in the fourth quarter 2000.
Repsol Exploracion Egipto said Neith South-3X appraisal well in the Khalda Offset concession in Egypt's western desert tested 1,100 b/d of 45� oil from one zone in the Jurassic-age Khatatba formation. The 3X well is 1.5 km east of the Neith South-1X discovery well, which tested at 2,778 b/d of oil and 4.5 MMcfd from two zones in the Khatatba formation. Repsol Exploracion, a unit of Repsol-YPF SA, operates the concession with 50%; Apache Corp. holds 40%; and Novus Petroleum Ltd., 10%.
Comstock Resources Inc. said W.T. Carter & Bro. No. 10 well in the Double A Wells field in Polk County, Tex., was drilled to TD of 14, 196 ft. It tested at 6.5 MMcfd of gas and 406 b/d of condensate on a 20/64-in. choke at 3,200 psi flowing tubing pressure. The Carter Battise No. 4 well in the same field was drilled to TD of 14,200 ft. It tested at 3.4 MMcfd of gas and 140 b/d of condensate on an 18/64-in. choke at 500 psi flowing tubing pressure. Comstock holds 32% in both wells.
Shell Petroleum Development Co. of Nigeria Ltd. has awarded a 3-year, "multi-million-dollar" contract to BJ Services Co. to provide cementing and integrated completion services in Nigeria. The contract includes a 1-year option to renew.
Indo-Pacific Energy Ltd. said the Coleraine-1 exploration well in Timor Sea permit ZOCA 96-16 is was being plugged and abandoned. The well reached 11,375 ft and intersected Flamingo Group and Elang Formation sandstones below 11,000 ft. The well contained noncommercial amounts of hydrocarbons. Phillips Petroleum Ltd. operates the permit with 66%; Norwest Energy NL owns 14%; Indo-Pacific Energy, 10%; and West Oil NL, 10%.
Indo-Pacific Energy Ltd. said the Arcadia-1 exploration well in the North Area permit of PEP 38256 in New Zealand in the Canterbury basin reached TD of 1,479 m. The well did not find commercial amounts of hydrocarbons. The well will be plugged and abandoned. Indo-Pacific owns 20% of the North Area permit; AMG Oil Ltd. owns 50%; Durum Consolidated Energy Corp., 20%; and Orion Exploration Ltd., 10%.
Lundin Oil AB subsidiary International Petroleum Libya Ltd. plugged and abandoned the D1 well on area NC177 in Libya. The well had reached 3,018 m and penetrated the Gir, Zelten, and Beda Carbonates as well as the Sirte and Basal sandstones, but had not found commercial hydrocarbons. The rig will now drill well E1, 28.8 km north of the D1 location.
BP unit Amoco Angola BV and Shell Development Angola BV said Wednesday the Paladio oil discovery off Angola tested at 3,980 b/d of 31� crude. Paladio is the fourth exploration well BP has drilled in Block 18 and its fourth successive discovery. Angola state oil company Sonangol awarded Block 18 to BP and Shell in 1996. Amoco Angola holds 50% of the well's interest, and Shell Development Angola owns the other 50%. Paladio was drilled in 1,233 m of water 175 km off Angola.
