16/11-2

General

The Anchovy (16/11-2) well was drilled on a semi-domal structure, about 5 miles long and 4 miles wide situated in the Danish-Norwegian Basin. It was estimated that at Paleocene depth there would be 12 square miles of closure with 150 m vertical relief and at Jurassic depth, 9 square miles of closure with 370 m vertical relief. The principal objective horizons were the Jurassic and Paleocene sands.

Operations and results

Wildcat well 16/11-2 was spudded with the semi-submersible installation Ocean Viking and drilled to TD at 2378 m in Late Permian Zechstein salt.

No Paleocene sands were encountered. As expected the Danian Chalk section was missing in the well. The Upper Cretaceous Limestone was tight with no shows. The Jurassic sand top was encountered at 2202 m with the main sand development beginning at 2207 m. The net sand thickness was 35 m, but on testing was found to be tight and unproductive. The total Jurassic section was about 244 m thinner than anticipated. The Triassic was missing. An 11.5 m Dolomite section was developed from 2250 m to 2261.5 m at the top of the Permian succession. This was also tested, but found to be tight and unproductive. Thus the well was terminated in the Zechstein higher than planned. Except for the reduced Jurassic sequence and absence of Triassic sediments causing the higher position of the Zechstein, the structure and stratigraphy were as predicted in the prognosis. Geochemical analyses of shales from the Late Jurassic Tau Formation proved excellent source potential, but the kerogen is immature to marginally mature in the well location. No cores were cut. The well was permanently abandoned as a dry well on 23 July 1973.

Testing

Two intervals in the Sandnes Formation were perforated and tested, 2261 m to 2251 m and 2242 m to 2231 m. Both intervals were found tight and unproductive and no hydrocarbons were produced during the tests.