Fifteen exploration and appraisal wells were active in the UKCS, comprising six exploration and nine appraisal wells, at the time this was being written.
One is Shell’s 214/21a-1, on the South Uist Prospect, which is the only current E&A drilling in the West of Shetland area.
This prospect lies north of the Torridon gas discovery and east of Rosebank.
It is being drilled as part of a three-well sequence – one each on the UK and Irish Atlantic sectors and the third in Norwegian waters.
Meantime, Shell is offering a farm-in opportunity to South Uist, or rather the licence area of which it is a part.
According to the notice published on Indigopool, “The North Uist prospect is a well defined fault bounded structure with a maximum aerial closure of 30sq km; 1,000m of vertical relief, and an average total objective thickness of about 600m”.
A data room was opened on April 14, with offers due in by May 22.
Also West of Shetland, Hess’s appraisal sidetrack of Amos prospect well 204/25a-8 was abandoned without comment after 24 days, including up to 18 days at TD.
April starts include Maersk’s 9/18a-36 North Gryphon appraisal in the Northern North Sea; BP’s 16/23-7 Rinnes exploration well; Oilexco’s sidetrack of 23/21-6 into the Moth Prospect, and Antrim’s second sidetrack, 21/28a-9Y – appraising Fyne & Dandy in the Central North Sea. Also in the NNS, CNR has begun exploration drilling from the Murchison platform with well 211/19a-M78.
In addition to new starts, in the CNS, operations continue on Ithaca’s Athena appraisal 14/18b-17Z; BG’s Jackdaw appraisal 30/2a-7; Conoco-Phillips’ Jasmine appraisal 30/6-7Y, plus Maersk’s 30/14-4Z, indicated as an appraisal sidetrack.
In the NNS, two exploration wells continue: Total’s 3/15-12 on the Islay prospect and Dana’s 210/24a-7 on the (other) Rinnes prospect.
In the Southern North Sea, three appraisals continue: EnCore’s 48/2c-5 (Cobra); Bridge’s 48/21a-4Z (Durango), and Venture’s 47/9c-11 (Barbarossa), where a high-angle sidetrack into the reservoir recently started.