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Woodside checks out early signs of African oil finds

Lloyds List: Woodside checks out early signs of African oil finds

“Shell and Pan-Ocean Energy have found oil with the Awokou onshore well in Gabon.”

Martyn Wingrove

Oct 06, 2004

WOODSIDE is evaluating signs that it has struck oil with its latest deepwater exploration wells in Mauritania, increasing its reserves in two key oilfield developments in the African country.

The Australian oil company is drilling a 21-well programme offshore Mauritania with two drilling units and has already gained encouraging indications of finding new oil reserves.

Semi-submersible Stena Tay, drilling on the Tevet prospect 10 km north east of the Chinguetti field, has encountered oil-bearing zones. It has started a logging programme on the well to provide more details of the potential reserves in the prospect.

Smedvig’s drillship West Navigator, drilling a second appraisal well on the Tiof discovery, has also struck oil in the target reservoir, which it is logging.

Woodside intends to sidetrack this appraisal well to core and test the reservoir using the drillship during this month.

Tevet is a potential satellite to the Chinguetti project, which Woodside is developing with a Bergesen Offshore-leased floating production storage and offloading vessel.

The Australian oil firm thinks Chinguetti holds around 120m barrels of oil reserves and hopes to start production through the FPSO early in 2006.

If Woodside’s logging programme at Tevet is successful then the field could be brought on-line after Chinguetti has gone past its peak output, extending the lease period for the production vessel.

Woodside thinks Tiof, which is north of Chinguetti, holds similar reserves, but its partners in the production sharing contract, Australian independents Hardman Resources and Roc Oil, plus UK oil firms BG Group and Premier Oil, believe Tiof could have more than 200m barrels. The latest Tiof appraisal well could prove the partners right.

– Shell and Pan-Ocean Energy have found oil with the Awokou onshore well in Gabon.

The partners are thinking over a fast track development using facilities at nearby Avocette or Obangue oil fields. First they are drilling on the Awodam prospect, 3 km southwest of Awokou.

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