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Woodside's Mauritania step-out well on Chinguetti a winner

(8/19/2002 - Oil & Gas International: Perth) The Woodside-operated joint venture holding Mauritania's Block 4, Area B, has confirmed the presence of significant oil bearing sands with its Chinguetti 4-2 exploratory well. Drilled by the Transocean drillship Deepwater Discovery, the well reached its scheduled total depth of 8,711 ft (2,655 metrs), whereafter a preliminary wireline log established that several payzones were encountered. Woodside will now production test the well.
Preliminary evaluation of the wireline log data indicates that the well intersected several oil-bearing sandstones in the primary objective over a gross hydrocarbon interval in the well of 308 ft (94 meters). A shallower zone contains gas bearing sandstones over a 10-ft (three-meter) interval.
The logging and evaluation program is continuing and wireline samples of the fluid in the well are currently being obtained. Following completion of the logging programme, the joint venture has agreed to undertake production testing over portions of the primary oil zone during the next two-week period after the running and cementing of 9 5/8-inch casing.

The Chinguetti 4-2 well was drilled on the northern (upthrown) flank of the Chinguetti salt structure, approximately 2.5 km north of the Chinguetti-1 discovery well, which was located on the downthrown fault block. This first appraisal well is considered to be a significant step-out from the discovery well and was drilled to evaluate a geologically separate portion of the prospect. A contingent appraisal well is likely to be drilled as the third well in the field to fully delineate the oil volumes and scope for production in the Chinguetti Field.
Woodside Petroleum is the operator of Mauritania's Block 4 and the Chinguetti well, with 35% interest. Its partners are ENI (35%), Hardman Resources (21.6%), Fusion Oil & Gas (6%), and Roc Oil (2.4%).