W&T Offshore hits pay at Mahogany

U.S. oil firm W&T Offshore, has said its Ship Shoal 359 A-18 well in the Gulf of Mexico has logged 149 feet of net oil pay in five zones and extended the size and depth of the Mahogany field.

The SS 349 A-18 well was drilled on the western side of the Mahogany field to extend the productive limit of the ‘T’ sand, which was discovered in mid-2013 by the A-14 well.

The A-18 well not only confirmed that the ‘T’ sand is present and oil bearing on the west side of the field but it also logged and penetrated four additional attractive pay sands in addition to the main ‘T’ sand target, the company said.

After casing the ‘T’ sand, the company drilled an exploratory tail (approximately 950 feet deeper) beneath the main well target and discovered an additional pay interval in a deeper ‘U’ sand interval. The success of the A-18 well is expected to generate additional drilling locations for the company, W&T Offshore said.

W&T holds a 100% working interest in the Mahogany field.

Tracy Krohn, W&T Offshore’s Chairman and CEO, stated, “After pausing our Mahogany field development drilling program since early 2015 when commodity prices slipped, we are very pleased to have resumed drilling activity there to further unlock the significant potential of this huge field. We are benefitting from our recent analysis of our new WAZ seismic data over the field, which allows us to more clearly image the sub-salt formations and assess the additional upside of this field.

More than a darcy

“The A-18 well allowed the company to acquire its first core data from this important reservoir with rock permeability estimated to exceed one darcy, confirming the excellent flow potential of this exceptional reservoir. By comparison, the permeability of shale plays in the Permian Basin is often stated as having permeabilities in nanodarcies. A nanodarcy is one billionth of a darcy, which is obviously significantly less than a darcy,” Krohn said.

“With a number of development and low-risk exploration locations yet to be drilled, the Mahogany field is expected to be the cornerstone of our capital program in 2017 and possibly beyond. Our focus on lowering drilling and operating costs in the Gulf of Mexico, combined with Mahogany’s outstanding reservoir characteristics and existing infrastructure on the Shelf, delivers very compelling economic returns for our shareholders.”