Dutch firm’s jack-up rig kicks off drilling ops at Perenco’s asset off Gabon

Perenco Oil & Gas Gabon (POGG), part of the Perenco Group, has started drilling activities at an appraisal well offshore Gabon, using one of the jack-up rigs from the Netherlands-headquartered Dixstone.

In a bid to glean more insight into the reservoirs and refine its estimate of the oil resources in place, Perenco has spud an appraisal well in the vicinity of the Hylia South West discovery, which was made in December 2022 through the exploration well HYSM-1. Aside from a 40-meter net oil-bearing column in the Ntchengue Ocean (NTO) reservoir, a further column in the Madiela reservoir was also proved at the time.

The company’s current appraisal well is targeting the NTO reservoir and the lower Madiela carbonate reservoir. This well is being drilled by Dixstone’s Banba jack-up rig and this operation is expected to last 30 days. According to Perenco, the Hylia South West field is now producing 6,000 barrels of oil per day from the HYSM-01 well, a material increase since the start of production in October 2023, less than one year after the discovery.

Adrien Broche, General Manager of POGG, commented: “The appraisal drilling is important in determining the full potential of this area after the recent exploration success at Hylia South West. It is designed to further inform our understanding of both the NTO and Madiela resevoirs, and to narrow our estimate of oil resources in place, presently estimated at between 20 and 100+ million barrels.”

With a maximum drilling depth of 16,150 ft, the Banba Marathon LeTourneau 82 SD-C jack-up rig can operate in water depths of up to 250 ft. The rig has the capacity to accommodate 118 people.

Recently, Wagenborg Foxdrill, part of the Royal Wagenborg Group, wrapped up offshore lifting activities, which entailed derrick removal for Perenco’s platform repurposing project. Upon completion of the conversion work, the operator will be able to use the unit as a production platform off Congo.

In addition, Perenco T&T Limited hired the Valaris 249 heavy-duty ultra-harsh environment jack-up rig to drill one open-water appraisal well in the TSP block, offshore the southeast coast of Trinidad. The assignment will begin in the second half of 2024.