Mazarine Energy’s subsidiary Mazarine Energy Tunisia has signed a drill rig contract with Compagnie Tunisienne de Forage (CTF) for the use of its CTF-4 rig for a two-well campaign in Tunisia’s Zaafrane Permit
The spud date of the first well Cat-1 is anticipated in late January 2015, the company said in a statement.
Between January and February 2014, Mazarine Energy Tunisia had acquired 330 sq km of seismic data over what is considered the most prospective area of the permit between two sets of producing fields — Sabria and El Franig to the west, and Baguel and Tarfa to the east. The company is also reprocessing 900 sq km of vintage 2D seismic data currently.
Mazarine Energy said that the interpretation of the new seismic data produced a portfolio of attractive prospects and leads. The company has also identified a first prospect in the north-western part of the permit, relatively close to the producing field Sabria.
Edward van Kersbergen, executive chairman of Mazarine Energy, noted, “The newly acquired 3D seismic looks highly promising with new prospects and leads identified.
“We are excited to have signed the drilling contract. This puts us in place to start the exploration campaign as soon as January 2015.”
The 2,000 HP CTF-4 drilling rig is estimated to arrive at the Cat-1 drilling site in early January. The rig is currently in Tarfa, approximately 87 km east of the Cat-1 location.
Cat-1 will be drilled to a depth of 3,850 metres to evaluate the Lower Ordovician Hamra and El Atchane sandstone reservoirs, the company added.
If the well encounters hydrocarbons, Mazarine Energy said that it plans to develop the field within two years. To evaluate well performance, an extended production test will be considered before development.
Mazarine Energy is operator of the Zaafrane Permit and owns a 45 per cent interest. Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activités Pétrolières (ETAP) holds 50 per cent and Tunisian private company MEDEX the remaining five per cent. The permit area spans an area of 5,168 sq km.
