Oil and gas company Mubadala Petroleum has started drilling an appraisal well at the Manora Oil Development located in the Northern Gulf of Thailand.

Mubadala is the operator of the G1/48 concession, where the development is located, with 60% interest while its partners Tap Oil and Northern Gulf Petroleum have 30% and 10% interest, respectively.

Tap Oil said on Monday that the Joint Venture has identified an opportunity to add further near facility production at the Manora Oil Development in 2016 through additional development drilling, and to potentially add further contingent resources via an appraisal well.

According to Tap, the Atwood Orca jack-up drilling rig started drilling the MNA-17 well at the Manora Oil Development on Saturday, September 3. The MNA-17 well will be drilled from the Manora platform and has both an appraisal and development component, Tap added.

The MNA-17 (AP) well path is planned as an appraisal/pilot well, appraising the 500 series sands and assessing a separate untested fault block, the Manora West Structure, which has the potential to de-risk the Greater Manora West prospective resources.

The MNA-17 (AJ) well will utilize the upper pilot section before being deviated into the Central Fault Block as a new production well. MNA-17 (AJ) is expected to increase Manora production performance. The MNA-17 (AP) well will be drilled to a total depth of 1,859.3 meters total vertical depth subsea (TVDSS) and drilling is expected to take 5 days on a trouble free basis.

The deviation to MNA-17 (AJ) is expected to take 5 days with a total depth of 1,981.2 meters TVDSS. The well cost is expected to be $2.5 million.

Source: www.offshoreenergytoday.com