asx announcement 14 january 2009, page-18

Hi and thanks for all your time to post this info kiwigeo.
I find it very interesting to learn a bit about the nature of the problems and tecniques that might be used to fix.
Actually your post has reminded me of similar helpful info posted during another episode by a great contributor called 'kashga' who has been absent a while.
He told of the tecnique of 'balancing' if you like the weight of the string, which becomes extremely heavy, via the draw gear controls of the rig. The Lightning rig is apparently well equipped for doing this. Enabling just an ideal amount of weight or thrust to be applied to the bit to give the best cutting performance and so on.

I am sure many readers have enjoyed the light your info has added to understanding what is being done.

As you point out a shift like a tectonic stress fracture triggered by the drilling and a combination of the internal water pressures + the mud and so on could well be the culprit.
I hope we don't have too long to wait.
I must say I would dearly love to see the bit extracted one way or another rather than having to sidetrack.
The history of sidetracking in previous wells at depth in this terrain does not make good reading.

cheers,
geojac.