Well off Trinidad and Tobago scores gas

Feb. 18, 2005
ChevronTexaco Corp. and 50:50 partner British Gas PLC have confirmed that their Manatee 1 exploration well on Block 6d off Trinidad and Tobago has encountered "significant amounts of natural gas." ChevronTexaco operates the well, its first off Trinidad and Tobago.

By Curtis Williams
OGJ Correspondent

PORT OF SPAIN, Feb. 18 -- ChevronTexaco Corp. and 50:50 partner British Gas PLC have confirmed that their Manatee 1 exploration well on Block 6d off Trinidad and Tobago has encountered "significant amounts of natural gas." ChevronTexaco operates the well, its first off Trinidad and Tobago.

Manatee 1, drilled in 299 ft of water, lies northwest of ChevronTexaco's Loran field discoveries off Venezuela, with which it is on trend (OGJ Online, Jan. 4, 2005). ChevronTexaco recently drilled three exploration wells—Loran 2X, 3X, and 4X—across the border on Venezuela's Plataforma Deltana Block 2.

The Manatee 1well, currently under test, encountered six gas-containing sand intervals for a total gross thickness of 899 ft. ChevronTexaco began drilling Jan. 14. Manatee 1 appears to extend the six shallow gas sands in Venezuela's Loran field into Trinidad and Tobago territory.

Manatee 1 results will help Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela evaluate the resource and negotiate cross-border unitization (OGJ Online, Aug. 17, 2004).

The recent discoveries also move Trinidad and Tobago government toward its goal of building a fifth and possibly sixth LNG liquefaction train.