17 April 2014, News Wires – Total has struck oil at an ultra-deepwater frontier play off Ivory Coast.
The French supermajor hit a light oil accumulation at the Saphir-1XB wildcat on Block CI-514, it said on Thursday.
The well was drilled with the Ocean Rig semi-submersible Eirik Raude to a total depth of 4655 metres in 2300 metres of water.
It encountered a series of thick sands of approximately 350 metres, throwing up a hydrocarbon column of some 40 metres, Total said.
Marc Blaizot, senior vice president of exploration at Total, said: “Drilled in an abrupt margin play, this first well is the first discovery in the San Pedro basin.
“Having confirmed the presence of a petroleum system containing light oil,we will next evaluate this very promising find and focus on its extension to the north and east.”
Total operates the block on 54% with Canadian Natural Resources on 36% and state player Petroci on 10%.
The French company plans to drill two more wells off Ivory Coast this year, on blocks CI-515 and CI-516 – both of which are ultra-deepwater blocks.It also has an interest in ultra-deepwater Block CI-100 where a discovery was made last year.
Total is now demobilising the Eirik Raude off Block CI-514 and will send it to South Africa to drill the first well on Block 11A-11B, where the French player is operator on a 50% stake.
Ocean Rig’s fleet status report shows the unit on hire to Russia’s Lukoil off West Africa from the third quarter last year until the fourth quarter this year.
– Upstream