Oil and gas explorer Sterling Resources said today it is to drill two offshore wells in the Black Sea off Romania.
The firm’s subsidiary in Romania, Midia Resources, has contracted Grup Servicii Petroliere for the drilling of the Ioana well in the Midia block and the Eugenia well in the Pelican block.
Work will start in September using the GSP Jupiter jack up rig.
Sterling is the operator of the Midia and Pelican blocks and holds a 65% interest.
The announcement follows long delays for the firm in the country, primarily due to changes in the Romanian government.
“The drilling of Ioana and Eugenia re-establishes the joint-venture’s efforts, following amicable resolution with the state of Romania, proactively to explore this highly prospective concession,” said Mark Beacom, Sterling’s vice-president and general manager for Romania.
He added: “Success at Ioana could greatly enhance Sterling’s goal to establish a more substantial gas hub in the Midia block that already includes the Ana and Doina discoveries.
“Eugenia, on the other hand, represents the first exploration well to be drilled in the Pelican block.”
In February, OMV said it discovered what may be its biggest gas find in the Domino-1 well, 22 miles south-east of the Midia block. The well was being operated by a unit of ExxonMobil.
Preliminary estimates for the field ranged 1.5 to 3 trillion cubic feet.
Sterling said it believed its Anca, Maria and Nadia prospects, in the Midia block and in water depths of between 328ft and 393ft, were in similar formations to the Domino-1 well discovery.