Eric Watkins
Senior Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Oct 24 -- Ireland's Island Oil & Gas plans a drilling program in the Celtic Sea off Ireland in 2006.
The group let a contract to Petrolia Drilling Ltd. for use of the Petrolia semisubmersible to drill three wells, two of them in 2006.
Island expects to commence drilling about Apr. 1, 2006, subject to permitting.
Targets for next year's drilling program reportedly include the Inishbeg prospect off Donegal and the Old Head of Kinsale structure in the Celtic Sea (OGJ, Feb. 7, 2005, Newsletter).
The area of interest is near Corrib gas field, a 1996 discovery by Enterprise Oil PLC under development by a group led by Shell Exploration & Production Ireland (OGJ, July 11, 2005, p. 25).
Contact Eric Watkins at [email protected].