BW Offshore completes first oil production well at Tortue

BW Offshore has completed the first development well located in the Tortue field, within the Dussafu license, offshore Gabon. Next up is the appraisal well to the northwest on the Tortue field. 

The Tortue structure is one of four existing oil discoveries in the Dussafu Exclusive Exploitation Area (EEA) in which the operator, BW Energy Gabon (BWEG), holds a 91.667 percent interest while its partner Panoro holds a 8.33 percent interest. BW Energy is a subsidiary of BW Offshore.

Drilling of the oil production well DTM-2H started in late January 2018 and was completed on schedule and within budget, BW Offshore said on Monday. The well was drilled with the Borr Drilling-owned jack-up rig Borr Norve.

According to the company, interpretation of the logging results indicates that the well was entirely consistent with pre-drill prognosis and objectives. DTM-2H was drilled and completed as a horizontal production well in the Dentale D6 reservoir and encountered a long horizontal section of oil-saturated Dentale D6 sandstone.

Following demobilization at the DTM-2H well, the Borr Norve jack-up drilling rig will start operations on the DTM-3 appraisal well to the northwest on the Tortue field.

After completion, the rig is scheduled to drill and complete the horizontal oil production well, DTM-3H, in the Gamba sandstone. Drilling operations are expected to continue until the end of June.

The two production wells will be tied back to the Adolo FPSO via subsea trees and flowlines. Before being selected by BW for the Tortue development, the Adolo FPSO previously operated on the Azurite field. The unit is currently at a Keppel shipyard in Singapore in preparation for deployment. After being officially named BW Adolo, the FPSO is preparing to set sail to its final offshore location soon. First oil is planned for 2H 2018.

“I would like to congratulate our project team for reaching this important milestone in the commercialization of the Dussafu license,” said Carl K. Arnet, CEO of BW Offshore.

John Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer Panoro Energy, said: “We are very pleased with the result of the first production well in the 2018 drilling program, which validates the geological and operational model for Phase 1 of the Tortue development.”