Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent
MELBOURNE, Aug. 30 -- Sydney-based Roc Oil Co. Ltd. has confirmed a significant heavy oil find with its Massambala-1CH2 sidetrack well on Cabinda South block in Angola.
Preliminary tests suggest the structure has as much as 170 million bbl oil in place.
The sidetrack, which reached 491 m TD, was drilled to evaluate a shallow oil zone intersected by Massambala-1 wildcat earlier in the month. Massambala-1 was Roc Oil's first well in Angola (OGJ Online, June 1, 2007).
The sidetrack well intersected a gross 16-m oil column with about 15 m of net oil-saturated sand and good-to-excellent reservoir qualities.
This shallow zone contains heavy mobile oil similar in appearance to heavy crudes being refined in several parts of the world.
Subject to specific field details, Roc Oil said heavy oil recovery techniques can recover a minimum of 10% of oil in place, and sometimes 20% and higher.
Roc Oil is operator of the Cabinda South Block and holds 60% interest. Force Petroleum Ltd. and Angola's Sonangol hold 20% each.
