Ophir: Starfish-1 Well Disappoints (Ghana)

Ophir Energy has completed drilling of the Starfish-1 oil exploration well offshore Ghana. 

According to Tap Oil, an Australian company which owns a share in the well, during the period from July 2 to July 9, 2013, Starfish-1 was drilled to a final total depth of 4,380 metres.

The Australian company said that wireline logging operations were undertaken to estimate the hydrocarbon potential of the primary target. Ophir has begun its preliminary analysis. The well is targeting a large stratigraphic trap in the deep water of eastern Ghana, interpreted to be potentially comparable to the Jubilee oil field in western Ghana.

“Tap’s preliminary interpretation of the  wireline logs and MDT data is that no movable hydrocarbons have been encountered in the  well, based on the current data.  The forward plan is to complete wireline logging operations and evaluation of the well data and block prospectivity,” Tap said in a press release.

The well, drilled by the Stena DrillMAX drillship, will be plugged and abandoned as programmed.

The Offshore Accra Contract Area, in which the well is located, covers an area of 2,000 km and is located to the southeast of Accra, the capital of the Republic of Ghana, in water depths ranging from less than 50 metres to more than 2,500 metres.

Update

In a separate statement issued today Ophir, the operator of the well said, that wireline logging has confirmed the presence of a gross c. 230m sandstone interval in the primary (Lower Cretaceous) target interval although logs show these to be water wet. The secondary target (“Orca”) contained poorly developed sands which were also water-bearing.

Nick Cooper, Ophir CEO, commented:

“Whilst it is disappointing that the first well on this licence has been unsuccessful, our primary reason for farming-in to this acreage was the play potential outboard of the Starfish prospect. The results of this well will provide valuable geological information as we look to analyse the further prospectivity of the licence area.”

[mappress]