SKUA STILL ON TRACK DESPITE RESERVES CUT

A BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd. group plans to start up Skua field in Australia's Timor Sea by December despite cutting its reserves estimate. New 3D seismic data led the group to cut its estimate of Skua oil reserves to 10-15 million bbl from an original estimate of 27 million bbl. The new data showed the unconformity sealing the top of the reservoir was more irregular than it appeared on earlier interpretations, and the bounding fault was more like an eroded fault scarp. The remapping thus

March 11, 1991

A BHP Petroleum Pty. Ltd. group plans to start up Skua field in Australia's Timor Sea by December despite cutting its reserves estimate.

New 3D seismic data led the group to cut its estimate of Skua oil reserves to 10-15 million bbl from an original estimate of 27 million bbl. The new data showed the unconformity sealing the top of the reservoir was more irregular than it appeared on earlier interpretations, and the bounding fault was more like an eroded fault scarp. The remapping thus removed a significant portion of the reservoir, BHP said.

BHP first planned a horizontal well at each end of the field and a vertical well in the center, but now plans vertical wells at each end and a horizontal well in the center.

Skua's floating production/storage system involves a moored tanker and floating riser system (OGJ, June 18, 1990, p. 21). The riser is under construction in Adelaide, and the tanker is in Singapore awaiting conversion.