Vaalco Energy Inc., Houston, has spudded the first well of a six-well development drilling campaign on the Etame Marin block offshore Gabon. Production from this well, Etame 8-H, is expected in December.
Etame 8-H was drilled using Transocean Ltd.’s Constellation IIjack up rig, which will then be used to drill the second and third wells, Etame 9-H and 10-H, targeting the Gamba sand formation in Etame field.
The rig will then be mobilized to drill the final three development wells in the campaign from the Southeast Etame-North Tchibala (SEENT) platform. The first of these will be drilled in Southeast Etame field, where the company drilled a successful exploration well in 2010 (OGJ Online, June 16, 2010). The fifth and sixth wells will then be drilled to target Dentale sand formations in North Tchibala field.
The drilling campaign follows the recent installation of the Etame and SEENT platforms, each of which has eight well slots, providing the option to drill up to five additional development wells from each platform following the current drilling campaign (OGJ Online, Aug. 29, 2014).
The company has been producing oil from Etame field since 2002 (OGJ Online, Sept. 10, 2002). Earlier this year, Vaalco deemed uneconomic its Dimba exploration well drilled in the Dimba prospect 7 miles northeast of Etame field (OGJ Online, Feb. 28, 2014).