Byron resolves Gulf of Mexico well issue. Three SM 71 wells online next week

Byron Energy has recovered the stuck completion tools from the SM 71 F3 well in the Gulf of Mexico. All three SM 71 wells will come online over a period of one week.

Byron had encountered a problem earlier this month during completion operations of the SM71 F3 well in the South Marsh Island Block 71 (SM 71) lease offshore Louisiana.

The drill-pipe became mechanically stuck across the packer, leaving the drill pipe and other completion equipment in the wellbore.

Otto Energy, Byron’s partner in the SM 71 lease, said on Thursday that fishing operations recovered the stuck completion tools from the SM 71 F3 wellbore.

On Wednesday, March 21, the Ensco 68 drill rig finished pulling the drill pipe and confirmed that the service tool portion of the stuck completion assembly was recovered.

According to the Otto, the recovery of the service tool intact is an important step as future operations become more routine.

Otto said the recovery of the service tool facilitated the ability to recover the retrievable gravel packer with a standard pulling tool which is currently on location. The washpipe portion of the tool was left in the hole and will be recovered in the following operations.

Once the packer is recovered, the remaining portion of the assembly can be washed over and recovered along with the washpipe. After that, new gravel pack equipment will be placed in the hole, and the perforated interval will be repacked using sand control techniques appropriate for low skin completion.

Otto added that the remaining work should take about one week and the production tubing can be run as per original plan.

The Ensco 68 rig will then be released, and production from the SM 71 F3 well will begin next week.

Otto’s Managing Director, Matthew Allen, said: “We are pleased to now have a clear path to the SM 71 F3 well coming online very soon after the F1 and F2 wells which are expected to start producing in the coming week.”

F1 and F2 wells

Over the past week, both the SM 71 F1 and F2 wells have been connected to the production manifold in preparation for start-up.

Also, all other piping to allow production has been concluded and safety systems have been connected and tested. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement conducted the last of its required inspections on March 20 with no material issues to resolve.

Otto said in a separate announcement that, pending final notification, the SM 71 F platform would be approved so that start-up could occur before the end of the week. At that point, both the F1 and F2 wells will be brought into production one by one and tested to establish proper, stable rates.

Byron is the operator of SM71 and has a 50 percent working interest and a 40.625 percent net revenue interest in SM 71. Otto Energy holds the remaining interest.