Tullow and Shell have come up dry in their latest attempt to find commercial oil reserves in French Guiana.
The companies, along with Total, Northern Petroleum and Wessex, had been partners in the exploration of the Cebus prospect.
Hopes had been high for commercial oil finds in the country after the Zaedyus discovery in the region two years ago, but three exploratory wells in the prospect have now failed to produce hydrocarbons.
Now the Stena ICEMax drillship will make one last effort in the four-well drilling programme
“The Cebus-1 well was an ambitious wildcat exploration well which did not encounter hydrocarbons,” said Tullow’s exploration director Angus McCoss.
“The current French Guiana campaign now concludes with the GM-ES-5 well. This well will be located on the Cingulata fan with the objective of determining the oil water contact of the Zaedyus-1 discovery by measuring the pressure in the water-leg as well as gathering geological data from deeper unpenetrated sections.”