GulfSlope Energy Inc., Houston, has spudded its first well in a program using deepwater drilling and completion technologies for subsalt exploration on the Gulf of Mexico shelf.
The Rowan Ralph Coffman jack up rig is drilling the Tau Prospect well in 305 ft of water on Ship Shoal Area, South Addition Block 336. The well will penetrate almost 10,000 ft of salt, with a target depth of 26,000 ft TVD (29,728 ft MD). Horizontal displacement will be about 10,000 ft.
The well will test Upper and Middle Miocene sands that are prolific in deep water and are expected at the Tau Prospect to be trapped against the western flank of a deep-seated salt ridge.
GulfSlope Chief Executive Officer John N. Seitz said the company used reverse time migration depth imaging and “critical noise-suppression technologies” to improve imaging below salt.
“We built upon the intensive subsalt drilling efforts in deep water, leading to a better understanding of the depositional models, and now we are bringing advancements in drilling and completion technology that were pioneered in deepwater subsalt exploration back to the shelf,” he said.
GulfSlope operates the well with a 20% working interest. Other working interests are Delek GOM Investments LLC, 75%, and Texas South Energy Inc., 5%.
Earlier, GulfSlope suspended for possible reentry the OCS-G-35589 No. 1 well on its Canoe Shallow Prospect on Vermilion Block 378 (OGJ Online, July 27, 2018).
It said logging-while-drilling analysis and fluid sampling indicated the presence of oil sands.
The company plans a full integration of well information and seismic data.