Shell discovers oil near Appomattox

Shell PLC discovered oil in the Norphlet formation near Appomattox in the Gulf of Mexico, said INEOS Energy in a Dec. 22 release.

The Nashville exploration well was drilled more than 5 miles beneath the seabed using Transocean Ltd.’s Deepwater Proteus drillship and confirmed high-quality oil in the formation. The discovery could be tied back to the nearby Appomattox production platform, which is operated by Shell and jointly owned with INEOS.

Further technical work is now underway to determine the size of the find. 

Exploration of the Norphlet in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico began in 2001 but yielded little results. Some oil was found in the first Vicksburg well, but a dry hole was encountered at Fredericksburg prospects. In late 2009, however, thick oil-charged aeolian sands were discovered in Appomattox field.

Deepwater Norphlet reservoirs discovered to date have up to 900 ft gross aeolian sand layers with high net-to-gross ratios. The oil is of excellent quality with low viscosity. Shell’s third Norphlet discovery in 2014 encountered 400 ft net pay.

Shell is operator at Appomattox (79%) with partner INEOS holding the remaining 21%.