Page 26: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Mar/Apr 2019)

25 27

FEATURE Deepwater Drilling

Stena Drilling’s Stena IceMAX.

Source: Stena Drilling see a string of important wells there this year,” says Latham. Etzil prospect in Block 2 of the Perdido Fold Belt, awarded in

Latham highlights the Jurassic play. Shell’s 2,250 meters Mexico’s hydrocarbon auction Round 1.4 in 2016. It’s been depth Appomattox development, in Mississippi Canyon Block reported to cover some 80 square kilometers and potentially 392, due on stream this year, will mark the ? rst production contains 2.7 billion BOE.

from a Jurassic reservoir in the US Gulf of Mexico, paving the Equinor and Murphy Oil are also drilling wildcats; Equinor, way for future exploration and development from an area that with partner Total, in Block 3 in the deep waters of the Gulf of had perhaps previously been overlooked. Mexico’s Salina del Golfo Basin, and Murphy on the Cholula “This area (the Jurassic) has surprised the industry,” Latham prospect, formerly known as the Palenque well, on Block 5. says. “Despite the great depths at which they’re buried, the Ju- “While Pemex has a reasonably long history drilling wells rassic dune sand stones still have highly remarkable porosity in the Mexican Gulf of Mexico, the deep water is very lightly causing people to think again about the potential of this play.” drilled,” says Latham. “Any basin that has been under a mo-

Chevron is due to spud Kingsholm-1 in the US Gulf of nopoly for a long time hasn’t had a diversity of ideas. Fresh

Mexico toward the end of the ? rst quarter. The prospect is ideas and concepts are likely to lead to some success here.” high-pressure, high-temperature (20,000 psi) and holds an es- timated 300 million BOE of resource. BRAZIL

There are two main stories in the Gulf of Mexico, says After a lull in exploration in recent years, activity is return-

Latham. Operators like LLOG are looking for 30 million bar- ing to Brazil. Results are expected soon on the Peroba well, rell prospects, that are low risk and can add valuable barrels targeting a giant pre-salt prospect in Brazil’s Santos basin. to core assets. Meanwhile, Chevron’s Ballymore, containing Peroba, which lies on trend with the giant Lula discovery in some 500 million to 1 billion BOE recoverable, is a stand- 2,100-2,600 meters water depth, is estimated to hold recover- alone project in scale, says Latham, found by targeting higher able volumes up to 1 billion BOE. “If the well is successful, risk, harder to drill wells at 9,000 meters plus target depth. partners Petrobras, BP and CNODC (China National Oil and

Gas Exploration and Development Corporation) are likely to be sitting on a very signi? cant ? nd,” says Latham. Going to

MEXICO

While the next two oil and gas acreage auction rounds have press, operations were ongoing.

been set back in the Mexican Gulf of Mexico, exploration ac- More wells are coming, with Shell, Equinor and BP lining tivity hasn’t, and new entrants are bringing a fresh approach up multiple targets and ExxonMobil with one well currently into an established basin. planned, says Latham. BP’s prospects are expected to include

Exxon and Total are together targeting the ultra-deepwater the ? rst Amazon Mouth well later this year.

26 OFFSHORE ENGINEER OEDIGITAL.COM 18-31 OE 2019.indd 26 4/15/2019 10:45:47 AM