Petroleum Africa
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Tuesday, December 10, 2013
In Kenya preparations are underway to spud the Sunbird-1 exploration well on Block L10A. Pancontinental Oil & Gas, one of the JV partners on the block, said that the best-estimate commencement date for the well is between January 9 and January 12. Sunbird-1 will be the first-ever test of a Miocene Pinnacle Reef offshore East Africa and the first-ever exploration well within L10A in the Lamu Basin offshore southern Kenya.
The block operator, BG Group, intends to drill the well using the drillship Deepsea Metro 1. The drillship is on contract to BG Group and is currently drilling offshore Tanzania.
Barry Rushworth, CEO and Executive Director of Pancontinental, commented: “We are very pleased to have been allocated the Deepsea Metro 1 for drilling next month. The Sunbird Prospect is one of a number of Miocene Reefs that have never before been properly tested offshore East Africa. Miocene Reefs globally have a high record of success for oil and gas and they are often highly productive, due to high porosity and permeability.”
“Commercial oil has not yet been discovered offshore East Africa, however oil shows in reservoir-quality sands (Kubwa-1), the discovery of gas from a possible mixed gas/oil source rock (Mbawa-1) offshore Kenya, the nearby Pemba Island oil seep and oil slicks on satellite imagery, all lead us to believe that Pancontinental and its partners are pursuing an important oil play offshore Kenya.” Rushworth went on to say, “ Pancontinental believes the inboard area of L10A is ‘oily’ and the Joint Venture is targeting a significant oil opportunity in Sunbird-1. The Joint Venture is looking to be the first group to make a first commercial oil discovery in a region that continues to have increasing attention from the industry majors.”
On Block L10 where BG Group is also the operator work continues on mapping prospects and leads using the 4,800 sq km of 3D seismic data acquired in two surveys over the last two years. A number of other prospects have been mapped for possible drilling after Sunbird-1. In the western sector the very large Crombec Lead continues to be mapped. Crombec is a large faulted anticline covering 550 sq km, with vertical relief of about 400 meters. It is one of number of prospects and Leads that are being considered for drilling mid-late 2014.
Rushworth further commented: “Through its four licenses Pancontinental has access to approximately 4/5ths of the Miocene Reef trend offshore southern Kenya. In L10A and L10B, our inboard reefs are about 50 km from the port of Mombasa and are in relatively shallow water. In the event of a discovery there are multiple follow-ups for drilling in both the L10 licenses and our two other licenses. Elsewhere in the L10 areas the clastic channel and other sandstone prospects that are still being mapped form a spectrum of other opportunities for a second well that is tentatively planned for mid-late 2014.”
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