Pancontinental Oil & Gas NL advises that the exploration well Sunbird-1 has commenced drilling in Licence area L10A offshore Kenya.
The well is managed by the L10A Joint Venture operator BG Group, using the drillship Deepsea Metro 1. The Sunbird-1 well is planned to take 50 to 60 days to drill to 3,000m below sea level, with an option to extend to 3,700m.
Extensive wireline logging and both pressure and fluid sampling are planned. The Joint Venture intends to plug and abandon the well in accordance with normal good oilfield practice regardless of the drilling outcome, however it is planned to leave the well in a condition that would allow re-entry at a later date. Water depth is 721m.
Sunbird-1 is the first-ever test of a Miocene Pinnacle Reef offshore East Africa and the first-ever exploration well in L10A in the Lamu Basin offshore Kenya. An extensive trend of Miocene Reefs is evident in Pancontinental’s four licence areas offshore southern Kenya.
Sunbird-1 is regarded as a “tight hole” exploration well and results will be announced after completion of the drilling and assessment and integration of the gathered data.
The Kenya L10A consortium consists of BG Group (Operator) 50%, PTTEP 31.25% and Pancontinental 18.75%.
Press Release, January 06, 2014; Image: Odfjell Drilling