Amerada passes Falklands rig to Lasmo

Amerada Hess Ltd. has passed Borgny Dolphin semisubmersible rig to Lasmo plc to drill a second well in virgin waters north of the Falkland Islands. Amerada, Lasmo, Shell Exploration & Production BV, and International Petroleum Corp. (IPC), Vancouver, B.C., jointly mobilized the rig to the South Atlantic to drill five wells (OGJ, Feb. 23, 1998, p. 30). Amerada reported that well 14/9-1 in Tranche A of the North Falklands basin was plugged and abandoned, having encountered traces of hydrocarbons

June 8, 1998

2 min read

Amerada Hess Ltd. has passed Borgny Dolphin semisubmersible rig to Lasmo plc to drill a second well in virgin waters north of the Falkland Islands.

Amerada, Lasmo, Shell Exploration & Production BV, and International Petroleum Corp. (IPC), Vancouver, B.C., jointly mobilized the rig to the South Atlantic to drill five wells (OGJ, Feb. 23, 1998, p. 30).

Amerada reported that well 14/9-1 in Tranche A of the North Falklands basin was plugged and abandoned, having encountered traces of hydrocarbons but nothing in commercial quantities.

Lasmo expected to spud a well on its Tranche C license area on June 5. A Lasmo official told OGJ the well will target a prospect called Minke, which lies about 10 km to the southwest of the Amerada well.

The official said the well is planned to a vertical depth of 2,000 ft and is expected to take 1 month. The well will be a tight hole, although Lasmo may release some details once the well is completed, given the intense interest in the prospects of Falklands oil among Britain's media.

"Amerada shared with us data from the first well," said the official. "We were encouraged by Amerada's well, even though the hydrocarbons found were limited to shows."

Likewise, Lasmo will share well data with the other operators sharing the drilling costs. Once Lasmo's well is completed, the rig will be handed over to IPC for one well, then to Shell for one well, and back to Amerada in the fourth quarter for another.