Dambus-1 Exploration Well, Kutai PSC, Indonesia
Serica and its partners spudded the Dambus-1 offshore exploration well on 4 September 2010 using the jack-up drilling rig Trident IX. The objective of the well was to investigate the potential for gas and oil accumulations in a stacked sequence of Miocene sands. Dambus-1 was drilled as a deviated well to a total depth of 3,225 metres measured depth ("MD") (2,713 metres true vertical depth subsea ("TVDSS"). Based on the indicative data obtained while drilling, hydrocarbons were encountered in clean sands in the gross interval 2,070-2,102 metres MD (1,787 - 1,812 metres TVDSS) and there were indications of further hydrocarbon-bearing sands in an interval below 2,760 metres MD (2,340 metres TVDSS). In order to obtain definitive data on the extent of the discoveries the well was plugged back and sidetracked and wireline logs, pressure data and fluid samples were acquired. Sidetrack Dambus-1ST was drilled to a total depth of 2,800 metres MD (2,568 metres TVDSS). Excellent quality gas-bearing Miocene reservoir sands were encountered in the interval 2,025-2,047 metres MD (1,795-1,816 metres TVDSS) of which the net gas-bearing sands amounted to approximately 18 metres. Following an extensive logging and sampling programme in Dambus-1ST, the deeper sands were found to be water bearing. The upper gas-bearing sands alone are not expected to be commercially exploitable and the well is therefore being plugged and abandoned. The Trident IX drilling rig will now move to drill the Marindan exploration well, the second well in the present two-well programme in the Kutai PSC.