Bowleven makes discovery offshore Cameroon

Bowleven has found additional pay in the Sapele well in the Douala Basin, offshore Cameroon.

The Sapele sidetrack encountered about 75 feet (23 meters) of net hydrocarbon-bearing pay in the Omicron objectives. The well reached a true vertical depth of 11,923 feet (3,634 meters), 14,708 feet (4,483 meters) measured depth, in a water depth of around 82 feet (25 meters) on the MLHP-5 block in the Etinde permit.

Its main objective was to appraise the Deep Omicron oil discovery encountered in the Sapele-1 exploratory well and to intersect the Upper and Lower Omicron objectives. The well intersected 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) of net pay overlying 79 feet (24 meters) of high quality reservoir which has been confirmed as water-bearing.

In the Lower Omicron, the well intersected a log-evaluated hydrocarbon interval that is interpreted to compromise high-quality thinly interbedded reservoir units. The provisional net pay is conservatively estimated at about 36 feet (11 meters) with an average porosity of 17%. Fluid samples acquired during logging activities indicate the presence of light oil/gas condensate as reservoir fluid.

In the Deep Omicron, the sidetrack intersected a log-evaluated hydrocarbon interval that is interpreted to compromise high-quality thinly interbedded reservoir units. Although less well developed at this location and with a corresponding lower net-to-gross ratio than the Sapele-1, the provisional net pay is estimated at about 33 feet (10 meters) with an average porosity of 19%.

In addition, initial interpretation indicates that certain pay intervals identified in the original Sapele-1 well have been eroded at the Sapele-1ST location. It was not possible to recover, believed due to borehole conditions, reservoir fluid samples and pressure data from Deep Omicron. Consequently, pressure communication could not be confirmed from logging activities. The GC tracer however indicates the presence of light, high GOR oil.

Bowleven stated that further evaluation is necessary to fully understand sand distribution within these tertiary fairways.