Wintershall Dea made an oil discovery in Block 30 of the Kan exploration prospect offshore Mexico. The field, in the shallow Cuenca Salina waters in the Sureste Basin, is estimated to hold 200 MMboe to 300 MMboe. The discovery is also Wintershall Dea’s first own-operated exploration well in Mexico.

Kan is located 16 miles off the Tabasco coast in a water depth of 164 ft. The zone is an area full of Miocene discoveries, including the Zama discovery, of which Wintershall Dea holds a significant working interest.

Wintershall Dea’s license portfolio in Sureste Basin offshore Mexico
Wintershall Dea’s license portfolio in Sureste Basin offshore Mexico. (Source: Wintershall Dea)

“After the recent submission of the Unit Development Plan for the Zama field and the acquisition of a material share in the producing Hokchi field, the discovery in Block 30 is the next important milestone for Wintershall Dea in Mexico,” said Martin Jungbluth, Managing Director of Wintershall Dea in a press release.

The Kan well, which is the first of two commitment wells in Block 30, was drilled by the Borr Ran rig. The rig reached a total depth of nearly 11,000 feet and found more than 560 feet of net pay sands of Upper Miocene. An updip sidetrack down to 10,000 meters was also carried out, and an additional 820 feet cores across the main reservoir sands were recovered.

After the Kan-1EXP well and the sidetrack were completed, the Borr Ran rig was moved to a second well to be drilled at Block 30, the Ix prospect, which lies 12 miles northeast of the Kan discovery.

The discovery is viewed as a “significant step” in the development of a new hub in the Sureste Basin, according to Wintershall Dea’s Chief Technology Officer Hugo Dijkgraaf.

Wintershall Dea and its partners Harbour Energy and Sapura OMV will continue to evaluate the subsurface data collection to prepare an appraisal plan for the discovery. The plan will be submitted to Mexico’s Hydrocarbon Agency CNH before the end of July. Wintershall Dea operates the field and holds a 40% stake in Block 30. Harbour Energy and Sapura OMV each hold 30% ownership.

Offshore