BW Energy Begins High-Stakes Drilling Campaign in Namibia’s Orange Basin
Oslo-listed oil and gas explorer BW Energy has commenced drilling operations at its promising Kharas well in Namibia’s Orange Basin, marking another significant step in unlocking the country’s offshore petroleum potential. The Norwegian company is using the advanced sixth-generation semi-submersible drilling rig Deepsea Mira, owned by Northern Ocean and managed by Odfjell Drilling.
The Kharas well is located within the Kudu license in petroleum production license 003 (PPL003), situated in the northern Orange sub-basin approximately 130 kilometers off Namibia’s southwest coast. The license covers 4,567 square kilometers in water depths of around 170 meters, with the original Kudu field discovered in 1974 and subsequently delineated by seven wells.
BW Energy operates the Kudu license with a commanding 95% working interest, while NAMCOR E&P, a subsidiary of Namibia’s national oil company, holds the remaining 5% stake. The company selected the Deepsea Mira for the assignment in late July as part of a previously announced rig-sharing arrangement with Rhino Resources.
The Deepsea Mira, delivered in 2018, represents cutting-edge drilling technology based on the Moss Maritime CS60E design. The sophisticated unit can handle drilling assignments in both benign and harsh environments at water depths of up to 3,000 meters.
In August, the same rig began drilling activities at the Volans-1X exploration well in production exploration license 85 for Rhino Resources and its partners, including NAMCOR, demonstrating the growing exploration activity in Namibia’s waters.
Source: offshore-energy.biz
