Mubadala preparing for Manora exploration well

UAE-based oil company Mubadala Petroleum is preparing to drill an exploration well at the Manora field located in the G1/48 concession in the Gulf of Thailand, starting in mid-May. 

The Manora field is operated by Mubadala Petroleum with a 60% interest and Tap Oil is its partner with a 30% interest. The field started production in November 2014. The development includes a wellhead processing platform and a floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel.

In an update on Monday Tap Oil said that the joint venture parties have approved the drilling of an exploration well, Manora-8, at the Manora Footwall prospect in the Manora Production Area, the surface location of the well is approximately 2.2km to the southwest of the Manora platform.

The primary objective of the well is to explore for hydrocarbons in the 600 series sands, that are the primary producing sands in Manora. The well targets a 3-way dip closure of the Manora Footwall A prospect, in the upthrown (footwall) side west of the Manora Central block. Secondary objectives include shallower reservoirs also productive in Manora and deeper objectives where oil shows were encountered in the MNA-17 well.

According to Tap, Manora-8 is expected to spud on May 12, 2018 and take approximately 11 days to reach total depth. The well will be drilled by the jack-up drilling unit Ensco 115 at an expected water depth of 151 ft (surveyed) to a proposed true vertical depth sub-sea (TVDSS) of 6,420ft.

On completion of Manora-8, a sidetrack well (Manora-8ST) will be undertaken to appraise the 300-500 series reservoirs above and below the productive MNA- 18 490-60 oil pool.

The sidetrack will also provide a pilot for ongoing development of the MNA-18 490-60 oil pool. Tap’s share of the expected cost is $995,000.