Uchenna Izundu
International Editor
LONDON, Aug. 8 -- Hess Corp. has discovered oil with the South Tor Pod exploration well off Denmark.
The well reached a vertical depth of 2,968 m, and drilling was stopped in the Cretaceous Hod formation. Ensco International's Ensco-70 jack up rig drilled the well in 55 m of water.
It found oil in oil-bearing chalks 5 km southeast of producing South Arne field on License 7/89 awarded in 1989.
The licensees will now evaluate the size and productivity of the discovery. Noreco ASA, a partner in the well, said it had estimated the size of the prospect before drilling to be 32 million boe.
Hess drilled a sidetrack to evaluate an upside further south of the primary target. The partners wanted to explore for hydrocarbons in the Upper Cretaceous Chalk within a structural closure and an area south of and down flank constituting a potential stratigraphic oil accumulation trap.
"A development of the South Tor Pod area will constitute an integrated part of the ongoing continued development planning of the South Arne main field as well as the Northern Extension (SANE) of the field which was appraised in 2006 by Rigs-3, including a number of sidetracks," Noreco said.
Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].
