Pearl Energy’s plans to drill five wells on two blocks in the Gulf of Thailand starting this month have been put back until February due to delays in gaining environmental approvals, project partner Horizon Oil has confirmed.
Horizon said in its September quarterly report that the delay would affect two oil exploration wells planned for Block G10-48 and three gas and oil exploration wells on Block G11-48. It said Thai government authorities had approved the new dates. Horizon said any discoveries in the wells would immediately be followed up with appraisal work to speed development planning. Houston-based Vantage Drilling is to supply the new-build ultra-deepwater jack-up Emerald Driller to Pearl for the work under a two-year contract worth about $128.3 million. Horizon has a 20% interest in the project. Singapore-based Pearl is a unit of the United Arab Emirates’ Aabar Investments. Meanwhile, Horizon said mapping and evaluation of prospects was continuing for blocks G1-48, G3-48 and G6-48 using new seismic data. Drilling was expected to start on Block G-48 in the second quarter of next year, it said. Horizon also said it was still waiting for weather conditions to improve before moving the jack-up rig Ensco 106 alongside the Maari production platform, on the offshore Taranaki basin in New Zealand, to start development drilling. Horizon told over the rig from Origin energy in August, but work has been repeatedly delayed by poor weather, it said. The rig has however been moved from near Nelson harbour in New Zealand and is now standing 75 metres off the Maari platform awaiting improved conditions. The company said installation and commissioning work was continuing on the Maari platform and on the field's floating production, storage and offloading vessel Raroa. The Maari field lies on blocks PMP 38160 and PEP 38413 off New Zealand's North Island.
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