Hi Adl and PaulIt appears that Apache/Tap still have the Ensco...

Hi Adl and Paul

It appears that Apache/Tap still have the Ensco 104 at the Taunton-5/5H appraisal well as you indicated earlier in this thread Paul:

* According to TAP's post here. *

They have to pull out of the hole change the drill bit, drill the horizontal section and test.

The rig may still be available for handover by 13 June as noted in the

* Ensco Fleet Status report - P4. *

Taunton spudded 15 April and was expected to take '40 days (trouble free)!' with a TD of 1500m.

* See the 15 Apr release. *

So far it is 46 days and counting so they will probably need their full schedule.

Compare this to the deep wells in Bonaparte's 'Tombstone Country' it just shows how difficult the O&G business is and it does take strong nerves to invest in the smaller companies (as opposed to trade).

Like Phi66ip said in the other thread (sorry I didn't get back to you) 'Patience is the key' but MEO has required years of patience. I just hope the patience pays off as MEO is still in a far better position than ever before. It is just that the traders have left the building - not that they have given up trying. But they will be back as residual MEOmites are holding tight.

I wonder if Eni will be putting in another Environmental Plan (EP) for Blackwood. In the EP for HS1:

* P1 here *

it says: 'The drilling program will be undertaken by ENSCO Australia, using the Ensco 109 .......... The locations and timing of subsequent wells will be dependent on the results of Heron-3, but will be within the following 18 months and inside the boundaries of the permit area.'

This was dated March 2012 so, in theory, the 18 months will be up in Sept this year and a new EP may be necessary if the Ensco 104 is used.

According to the Ensco Fleet Status report (above) the Ensco 109 will be tied up with PTTEP from Jun 13 to Aug 13 with no further schedule.

Eni have 18 months from 4th Feb 2013 to complete the B2 well. This takes us to August 2014 but, hopefully, Eni stay true to their speedy work ethic.

Eni also have extended a decision on H4 until Dec 18. Perhaps, as well as 'additional Joint Venture studies to be undertaken' the decision will be dependent on ES and Blackwood. There has been no indication of further seismic studies yet.

Perhaps news of successful 454-P and 488-P farmouts will kick start the SP again but it is still a waiting game.

The link (on my previous post) to the W12-2 (WA-P-488)Geological Summary appears to be broken but, from the copy I took, it appears the last well that was drilled in the 488P permit area was by Eni in 2009:

'Windjana 1 (2009'

Windjana 1 was drilled in 24 m of water in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf by Eni Australia Pty in March-April 2009. The well was drilled to target reservoirs in the Devonian Ningbing Group and other Paleozoic units (Eni Australia B.V., 2010). The well penetrated a sedimentary succession and was plugged and abandoned at a total depth of 2,330 mRT. The interpreted results from this well are confidential and further information is unavailable.

I wonder if MEO had access to the results and if Eni put in a bid for the block?

It is a pity DM did not have more success in his 5 years with MEO but he was always willing to put his studies forward in a way a novice like me could understand. Even with no major drilling success he did boost the MEO coffers through farmouts, so we could extend our acreage a great deal.

Now the new team have identified "Beehive" let us hope their expertise in this and other permits bring success to the long suffering LT MEO SHs.

It is one thing to identify the prospects which bring in finite farmout dollars but the the long term benefit to SHs will only be in successful drilling campaigns or projects like TS.

But then, we are investing in a speculative industry and it is not for a lack of trying on MEO's part, over-confidence apart.

#:>))