Syria: Loon suspends Block 9 exploratory well

Oct. 17, 2011
Kulczyk Oil Ventures Inc., Calgary, said its Loon Latakia Ltd. subsidiary has suspended its Itheria-1 wildcat on Block 9 in northwestern Syria after drilling to 2,072 m.

Kulczyk Oil Ventures Inc., Calgary, said its Loon Latakia Ltd. subsidiary has suspended its Itheria-1 wildcat on Block 9 in northwestern Syria after drilling to 2,072 m.

The company had planned to drill to 3,256 m near the southeast corner of the block (OGJ Online, July 22, 2011). Kulczyk’s request for an extension of the first exploration period was refused, but the PSC remains in effect and discussions continue. The company will monitor operating conditions in Syria to assess when and if it is possible to resume drilling.

The well was designed to evaluate multiple zones on a large structure with four-way dip closure defined by 3D seismic in an area 200 km due east of Latakia. The well penetrated Ordovician Affendi sandstone, the first objective encountered, at 1,470 m but the zone had insufficient porosity or permeability to be a potential reservoir.

Two other potential reservoirs, the Ordovician Khanasser sandstone and the Middle Cambrian Burj carbonate, are expected below the suspended depth. The geological and petrophysical information obtained thus far at Itheria will now be assessed to review the prospectivity of the deeper objectives in Itheria and in the nearby Bashaer prospect.

Loon Latakia holds a 50% participating interest in 2.48 million acre Block 9.