Egypt's 'mature' Suez gulf hosts E&D successes

Fig. 1 [252,848 bytes] A second oil find in as many months is reported in the central Gulf of Suez. Pennzoil Exploration & Production Co. hopes to start production within 12-18 months from NJ-1 in 169 ft of water on the North July block. The find closely followed Amoco Egypt Oil Co.'s SG310-4, drilled from an existing July field platform (OGJ, June 8, 1998, p. 41).

June 22, 1998

3 min read

G. Alan Petzet
Exploration Editor

Fig. 1 [252,848 bytes]

A second oil find in as many months is reported in the central Gulf of Suez.

Pennzoil Exploration & Production Co. hopes to start production within 12-18 months from NJ-1 in 169 ft of water on the North July block.

The find closely followed Amoco Egypt Oil Co.'s SG310-4, drilled from an existing July field platform (OGJ, June 8, 1998, p. 41).

Pennzoil's discovery flowed at a rate of 6,000 b/d of 34° gravity, low sulfur oil from a single zone in Miocene Rudeis. TD is 10,880 ft. The well, 5 miles east of Ras Gharib, is the company's first on the 8,400 acre block, in which Pennzoil holds 100% interest.

Pennzoil will finalize drilling plans after integrating well information with existing 3D seismic data.

The company won the block in June 1997 and holds three other Gulf of Suez tracts. It plans to drill three more Gulf of Suez wells this year-two on Southwest Gebel Zeit and one on West Feiran.

Pennzoil plans to drill its first well next year on its 100% owned West Beni Suef concession in the western desert, where it is now acquiring 1,553 miles of 2D seismic data.

Gupco activity

Gulf of Suez Production Co., the joint venture between Amoco Egypt and Egyptian General Petroleum Co., boosted overall Gulf of Suez production to 332,000 b/d with the SG310-4 discovery and rapid development of another accumulation near October oil field.

Amoco Egypt was producing 18,800 b/d from Rudeis at SG310-4 on the South Gharib concession 1.8 km west of its giant July oil field. Reserves looked like 25 million bbl. Amoco was drilling a second well and planning two more.

Meanwhile, Gupco's East Tanka Asl is a 12-16 million bbl Miocene field that began production in October 1997. The field is on the East Tanka concession between October and Warda fields. Amoco said producing rates of 32,000 b/d of oil and 5.1 MMcfd of gas were achieved in 7 months' continuous drilling.

Successful economic development was due in large part to the use of an innovative low cost tripod platform design, the first time this has been used in Egypt.

Five successful wells have been completed in this heavily faulted area. Drillers cut more than 52,000 ft of hole during 225 continuous drilling days with no lost time accidents.

Amoco said SG310-4 and East Tanka Asl operations involved high performance execution of an integrated technology strategy that combines innovative integration of 3D seismic and well data, state of the art computing technology, and close cooperation between drilling, facilities, operations, and exploration staff.

Adjacent onshore

Exploration is beginning in the onshore area west of Gharib, still in the Gulf of Suez basin.

GHP Exploration Corp., Houston, took a farmout on the 630,000 acre West Gharib concession from Tanganyika Oil Co. Ltd. and Dublin International Petroleum (Egypt) Ltd., subject to EGPC approval.

Ten fields are within and excised from or adjacent to the concession. Nine structural leads and prospects were identified by early June.

Main trap styles are tilted extension fault blocks and sandstone drapes or carbonate buildups over highstanding rift blocks. Reservoirs occur at numerous levels from Paleozoic Nubia sandstones to Miocene Belayim, GHP said.

The partners plan to acquire 3D and 2D data over identified prospects and drill as many as two wildcats in fourth quarter 1998.