Exploration and appraisal (E&A) starts on the UKCS in the first two months of the year amount to three exploration wells and three appraisal wells. However, 10 E&A wells are currently active, all utilising mobile rigs, which are working on five exploration wells and the same number of appraisals.
Additionally, 15 development/production wells are ongoing, utilising five platform-based rigs and a further 10 mobile units.
The numbers of active wells in all three categories is also up on last month, and the E&A picture shows an improvement on this time last year, when just five mobile rigs were drilling two exploration and three appraisal wells.
On a note of caution, the active E&A pool, while just four units short of the 14 rigs active at the end of February in 2008, which was a strong year, was running at 10 units just prior to the downturn of 2009. The current climate, however, feels more positive.
Two wells are currently active in the Northern North Sea (NNS), with the spudding of Sterling’s Cladhan appraisal well 210/30a-4 by the semi-submersible Transocean Prospect, and Total’s ongoing operation on Oban Prospect well 3/15a-14 with the Sedco 714 semi.
In the deep waters West of Shetland, Chevron’s Lagavulin Prospect well 217/15-1, being drilled using the super-drillship Stena Carron, remains the sole E&A well for now.
In the Central North Sea (CNS) five wells are active.
Centrica has spudded well 21/17a-6 on the ex-Venture Whitethroat Prospect, with the semi- Noble Ton van Langeveld; Maersk continues with the sidetrack on Culzean HP/HT (high pressure/high temperature) appraisal well 22/25a-10, with the jack-up Ensco 101, and EnCore most recently spudded the latest in its Catcher area programme with well 28/9-4, again using the Galaxy II jack-up to explore the multiobjective Burgman Prospect.
As well as Maersk’s HP/HT appraisal, other carry overs in the CNS from 2010 are BG’s Jackdaw appraisal well 30/2a-8, with jack-up Rowan Gorilla VI, and Talisman’s Josephine appraisal well 30/13a-9, with the semi Ocean Princess.
As the only E&A well operation completed in February, EnCore’s Catcher North appraisal well 28/9-3, also drilled by Galaxy II, was abandoned as an oil discovery after 23 days.
In the Southern North Sea (SNS), jack-up Ensco 72, drilling RWE’s East Breagh appraisal well 42/13a-6, has been joined by jack-up Ensco 80 to drill the Rotliegendes Grian Prospect for Sterling with well 48/28b-2.
Of the 2010 carry-overs still active on the UKCS this year, positive outcomes are anticipated at least from BG’s Jackdaw, Maersk’s Culzean and Talisman’s Josephine appraisals.
Indications are that the rig market is tightening and rates are likely to rise, in part driven by a requirement for mobile units on development drilling operations. Hannon Westwood’s forecast well pool currently stands at 200 E&A wells, over 60% of which are exploration prospects likely to see the drill bit over the next four years, half in the CNS.
Simon Robertshaw’s column is courtesy of North Sea drilling analysts Hannon Westwood
Recommended for you
