16/1-30 S

Well 16/1-30 S Lille Prinsen Outer Wedge was drilled to appraise the 16/1-29 Lille Prinsen Discovery on the north-western part of the Utsira High in the North Sea. The structure was first tested by wells 16/1-6S and 16/1-6 A, which made the Verdandi Discovery in the Eocene Grid and Paleocene Heimdal formations. The Lille Prinsen prospect is mapped in several geographically separate segments at Basement to Base Cretaceous level. These segments are: The Permian Main Carbonate Discovery penetrated by 16/1-29 S, the western Outer Wedge segment, and segments 2,3 and 5 (Carbonate upsides). The primary objective of 16/1-30 S was to appraise the Outer Wedge segment believed to consist of Permian carbonates in the 16/1-29 S with an overlying package of Triassic to Early Cretaceous siliciclastics. The secondary objective in 16/1-30 S was to appraise the oil and gas in the Grid and Heimdal formations found in the 16/1-6 S Verdandi discovery.

Operations and results

Appraisal well 16/1-30 S was spudded with the semi-submersible installation West Phoenix on 27 May 2019 and drilled to TD at 2140 m (1990 m TVD) m in basement rock. Operations proceeded without significant problems. The well was drilled with seawater and hi-vis pills down to 572 m, with Glydril mud from 572 to 1361 m, and with Versatec oil-based mud from 1361 m to TD.