Senegal: Cairn back to drilling pure exploration target with new spud

Cairn Energy has started drilling the FAN South-1 exploration well into the South Fan prospect, offshore Senegal. 

According to a Friday statement by Far Limited, a partner in the project, the well is the first pure exploration well to be drilled offshore Senegal since the discovery wells of FAN-1 and SNE-1 in 2014.

FAN South-1 is the first well drilled into the deepwater basin offshore Senegal since the initial FAN-1 discovery well in 2014. The well is being drilled into the South Fan prospect that Far assesses to contain 134 mmbbls of recoverable oil on a best estimate basis, with an 18% chance of success.

The well will also assess the potential for improved reservoir presence and quality in the basin that will aid in the evaluation of the FAN-1 well results, Far said.

The South Fan prospect consists of several stacked reservoir targets. The well will be drilled to an estimated Total Depth (TD) of 5,317 meters in a water depth of 2,139 meters. The firm well plan for FAN South-1 includes a wireline logging program prior to the well being plugged and abandoned.

The well is being drilled with the Stena DrillMAX drillship, the same rig used for the SNE appraisal program.

Far Managing Director, Cath Norman, said, “The Fan South-1 target represents an opportunity for Far to add to the growing inventory of oil discoveries offshore Senegal and the wider Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea Bissau Basin, clearly one of the world’s exploration hot spots.

“Fan South-1 gives us the opportunity to gain valuable information on reservoir presence and quality and to better understand the substantial potential of the large, deep-water basin area. After successfully completing the appraisal of the SNE Field, it is exciting for the JV to be back drilling a pure exploration target.”