Show me a place where you won’t find Nigerians living and actively pursuing their livelihoods, and I’ll show you … the Bermuda Triangle – and even then, who knows?
Iraq might be troublesome and unstable, but not enough to stop a Nigerian firm, Afren, which says it has commenced oil exploration at the East Simrit prospect (Simrit-3 well) located on the Ain Sifni PSC in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
According to Thisday, a statement issued by the Chairman of Afren, Egbert Imomoh, said: “Afren and operator, Hunt Oil Middle East (“Hunt Oil”), have commenced drilling of oil at the East Simrit on the Ain Sifni PSC in the region,” adding that “the Simrit-3 oil well is located approximately 10 km east of the successful Simrit-2 discovery well, and is exploring the eastern extent of the large scale Simrit anticline.”
To test the western extent of the structure, Imomoh disclosed that Afren partners recently completed the drilling of Simrit-2 exploration well, which was ultimately drilled to a total
measured depth of 3,800 metres and encountered 460 metres of net oil pay throughout Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic age reservoirs.
The company announced in the statement that no oil water contact had been established in the target reservoirs, adding that following the conclusion of drilling operations in June, a
comprehensive well test programme had started and is ongoing.
“The partners intend to undertake up to 12 separate drill stem tests (“DSTs”) in total, and announced in July 2012 that the first batch of three DSTs in the Triassic age Kurra Chine
formation had yielded an aggregate flow rate of 13,584 bopd of 39° API gravity oil.
“The Simrit-3 exploration well is seeking to demonstrate the presence of oil within the same Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic reservoir intervals at the eastern extent of the Simrit anticline.”
It could be recalled that Afren has 20 per cent interest in the Ain Sifni PSC and is partnered by Hunt Oil Middle East (60 per cent) and the Kurdistan regional government 20 per cent.
Imomoh who explained that the drilling programme in Kurdistan complements Afren’s existing exploration and appraisal programme in Nigeria, said: “The drilling and test results recorded till date, have already confirmed Ain Sifni in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to be a world-class asset.
“The Simrit-3 exploration well, which is part of on-going evaluation of the block’s transformational potential, will test the real extent of the existing discovery where we are well
advanced into an early production system at the Okoro East discovery while our exploration programme continues with planned drilling at the Ebok West and Central Fault Block targets over the coming months,” he added.
Way to go, Afren!
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