BG’S Mandarin wildcat well in the southern part of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea has failed, the bit encountering water in the target formation.
The 1/3-12S well is located some 30km north-west of the Ekofisk field. BG said it was drilled to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in the Skagerrak formation from the Late Triassic Age but that the well encountered thinner reservoir rocks than were anticipated. Moreover, reservoir properties were poorer than expected.
The NPD said this probe was the first exploration well to be drilled in this production licence area, which was awarded in the APA round of 2003.
When BG Norge gained consent to drill 1/3-12 S, the company said the estimated duration would be 181 days. Drilling started towards the end of last year. The jack-up rig, Rowan Gorilla VI, was used for the task, drilling to a total vertical depth of 5,820m (19,095ft) below the sea surface and was terminated in the late Triassic Age Skagerrak formation.
The well will now be permanently plugged and abandoned.
Andrew Vinall, of drilling analysts Hannon Westwood, said the company had been hoping to prove up a Rotliegendes play and that the target was classed as high-pressure/high-temperature.
