US

Shell Oil Co. reported that it hit more than 427 m (1,400 ft) of net oil-bearing pay at what the company said was one of its largest Gulf of Mexico discoveries within the past 10 years. According to IHS Markit, Shell’s Whale discovery, the #1 (BP) OCS G35153 well on Alaminos Canyon Block 772, was drilled to 6,995 m (22,948 ft). Evaluation of the discovery is ongoing, and appraisal drilling is underway to further delineate the discovery and define development options.

Cuba

Melbana Energy Ltd. has received approval to drill the #1-Alameda well onshore Cuba’s Block 9 production sharing contract. Block 9 is on the North Coast of Cuba and has a proven hydrocarbon system with multiple producing fields including Majaguillar, San Anton and Varadero, which is farther west. Block 9 also contains the Motembo Field, the first oil field discovered in Cuba. Melbana has applied for a permit to drill a second well on the block.

Canada

BP Plc has received approval for a proposed Scotian Basin exploration drilling project. The project is located off the Southeast Coast of Nova Scotia. The drilling program consists of up to seven exploration wells within exploration licenses 2431, 2432, 2433 and 2434, which would continue over a three-year period starting this year. Specific drilling locations will be determined using seismic data gathered as part of BP’s 3-D seismic exploration program conducted in 2014.

Morocco

SDX Energy has announced a gas discovery at its #7-ONZ development well on its Sebou permit in Morocco. It was drilled to 1,167 m (3,829 ft) and hit 5 m (16 ft) of net conventional gas pay in Hoot, with 35.3% porosity in the pay section. The well will be completed, tested and connected to existing infrastructure. SDX plans to release additional testing results later this year.

UK

UK Oil & Gas Investments is planning appraisal drilling in the onshore petroleum exploration and development license (PEDL) 331 at the Arreton oil discovery on the Isle of Wight. The company also announced that it will not seek any further extension to the offshore P1916 license. An appraisal drilling campaign is planned for first-half 2019. An independent report for PEDL331 indicated a gross mean aggregated oil-in-place estimate of 227 MMbbl on the onshore Arreton oil discovery and associated Arreton South and North satellite prospects. Recoverable gross 2C contingent resources were calculated as 15.7 MMbbl, with 10.2 MMbbl net to UK Oil & Gas.

UK

Hibiscus Petroleum is planning to drill the Guillemot A GUA-P2 sidetrack well in the U.K. sector of the North Sea, which is expected to tap 1.01 MMbbl from its current net 2P (proven and probable) reserves. The sidetrack project plans to re-enter the existing #2PGUA well and drain additional hydrocarbons into existing reservoirs in the Guillemot Field. This is part of a series of production enhancement projects to increase production to 5 Mbbl/d by 2020 while also increasing the company’s 2P reserves.

Norway

Statoil received a drilling permit for the #6/1-29 S wildcat well in production license 167. The venture will be in the eastern part of Block 16/1 and is northeast of Ivar Aasen Field. This is the sixth exploration well to be drilled in the license. According to partner Lundin Petroleum AB, the well will test the Lille Prinsen prospect.

Italy

Po Valley Energy Ltd. announced additional results from the company’s gas discovery at its Selva gas field in Bologna, Italy. The #1-Podere Maiar 1 well is in the Podere Gallina exploration license. Two identified gas reservoirs, C1 and C2, in the medium to upper Pliocene Sands are producing from Porta Garibaldi. The C2 has 25.5 m (84 ft) of net pay with a peak flow rate of 148 Mcm/d (5.2 MMcf/d) of gas during testing on a 3/8-in. choke with no water. The C1 had a net pay zone of 15.5 m (51 ft) with a peak flow rate of 129.6 Mcm/d (4.58 MMcf/d) when tested on a 3/8-in. choke. Additional testing, including a reservoir optimization program, will be conducted for the two gas zones.

Cyprus

Eni announced an offshore Cyprus gas discovery at the Calypso Prospect in Block 6. The #1 Calypso NFW well was drilled to 3,827 m (12,556 ft) and hit an extended gas column in Miocene and Cretaceous rocks, and the Cretaceous zone has excellent reservoir characteristics. Eni reported that the fi nd is similar to the Zohr gas fi eld and preliminary estimates indicated it could hold from 169.9 Bcm to 226.5 Bcm (6 Tcf to 8.1 Tcf) of gas. Area water depth is 2,075 m (6,808 ft). Additional testing and appraisal drilling is planned.

Bangladesh

A gas field discovery was reported in Bangladesh by Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration & Production Co. According to the company, it is confirmed as the second largest discovery of a gas field at Bheduria on Bhola Island in blocks 7 and 10 in the Ganges River. The discovery contains an estimated gas reserve of at least 16.9 Bcm (600 Bcf). Additional drilling is expected to increase production from the field.

Australia

Carnarvon Petroleum Ltd. revised its estimated prospective resources in the offshore Western Australia Labyrinth Project in Block WA-521-P after completing petrophysical analysis and compiling data from the Roc and Phoenix South wells in the adjacent permits. The Labyrinth Project is located in the Rowley Sub-basin on the North West Shelf and is north of the Roc and Phoenix South prospects. The total unrisked prospective resource of the eight most highly ranked prospects is more than 1.5 Bbbl recoverable resources. A number of other leads also have been identifi ed. The Ivory Prospect, which is in the Labyrinth Prospect, has a total mean prospective resource of more than 420 MMbbl. Area water depth is 200 m to 500 m (656 ft to 1,640 ft).

New Zealand

Tag Oil Ltd. announced that it hit pay at exploration well #1-Pukatea in permit area 51153 in New Zealand’s Taranaki Basin. The Mount Messenger Sands pay zone was 10.4 m (34 ft) thick with a depth of 1,681 m (5,515 ft). Electric log data indicate there is at least one potentially oilcharged zone with movable hydrocarbons, good porosity and permeability. Tag Oil has set intermediate casing at the North Island well and plans to drill ahead to the targeted Tikorangi Limestone. The planned depth of the well is 3,170 m (10,400 ft).