Less than two months after failing to find oil in the Jabillo-1 well, it has been announced by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) that drilling has now started at the Sapote-1 well in the Canje Block.
MARAD made the announcement recently that Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), a subsidiary of oil giant ExxonMobil, would start exploration drilling in the Sapote-1 well on August 28. It has been confirmed that this drilling has started.
“MODU Stena Drill Max will be engaged in drilling activities which will conclude on November 30, 2021… the well site is situated approximately 126 nautical miles from the coast of Guyana and covers an area of 0.29 square nautical miles (1 square kilometre),” MARAD stated.
Eco Atlantic is a co-venturer in the Canje Block, along with JHI Associates, Mid Atlantic and Exxon. Last month, Eco Atlantic’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gil Holzman had said that their next focus would be the Sapote-1 well.
“Our stakeholders continue to support our exploration efforts and look for us to continue to define these near-term high impact opportunities. Our next focus is the Sapote-1 prospect to be spud in the upcoming weeks which brings us another opportunity to share in what we hope to be another major ExxonMobil-led discovery,” he had said.
“JHI was carried on the Jabillo-1 well and this is just the first in a series of exploration wells that Eco expects to be involved in this year and next. Guyana has proven to be one of the most prolific hydrocarbon regions on the globe and the high discovery ratio continues and the company continues to be excited about its near-term future prospects on both the Orinduik and the Canje Blocks.”
According to Holzman, the Saopte-1 well is adjacent to existing discoveries and will be spudded in mid-August 2021. According to him, the drilling targets in the region have proven that they hold hundreds of millions of barrels of oil and oil equivalent and the company therefore looks forward to success from Sapote.
“I am happy that we managed to become a part of JHI and the Canje Block exploration program in time that offers our stakeholders a stream of high impact catalysts and an ongoing drilling program operated by ExxonMobil.”
“I have a great confidence that our Canje Block exposure will yield great returns and oil discoveries as it also paves the way to a broader exposure and collaboration in the Guyana-Suriname Basin,” Holzman had also said.
ExxonMobil, the operator, had previously drilled the Jabillo-1 well in the Canje Block offshore Guyana almost simultaneously with its other wells. But in July it was announced that no evidence was found of oil in commercial quantities.
It was announced that the Jabillo-1 well, which was drilled to a depth of 6475 metres, was found not to have commercially viable oil. As a consequence, it was announced that the well would be plugged and abandoned.
It had been reported in March that Exxon was engaged in drilling the Jabillo-1, using the Stena Carron drillship, between March 10 and March 27. The Stena Carron, after drilling the Jabillo-1 well and maintenance activities, was scheduled to resume drilling on the Koebi-1 well.
The Jabillo-1 well happens to be the second of three exploration wells Exxon had scheduled for drilling in the Canje Block in 2021. The other two are the Bulletwood-1 well and the Sapote-1 well. Like Jabillo, Bulletwood-1 had also come up dry.
