Cairn Spuds 10th Senegal Well

Cairn has spudded its first pure exploration well in Senegal since the SNE discovery of 2014, its junior partner there Australia’s FAR announced May 26.

The new well, FAN South-1, is the tenth well to be drilled by Cairn off Senegal. All have found oil with several also finding gas-bearing sands.

FAR says the latest well has an 18% chance of success and is targeting South Fan prospect’s 134mn bbls of recoverable oil on a best estimate basis.

It is the first pure exploration well off Senegal since the discovery wells of FAN-1 and SNE-1 in 2014 and will be drilled to a total depth of 5,317 metres in a water depth of 2,139 metres.

Graphic credit: FAR

The UK's Cairn operates three Senegal offshore blocks with a 40% interest, alongside Woodside 35%, FAR 15% and state owned Petrosen 10%.

FAR managing director Cath Norman said: “The Fan South-1 target represents an opportunity for FAR to add to the growing inventory of oil discoveries offshore Senegal and the wider Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea Bissau Basin, clearly one of the world’s exploration hot spots.”

The race for the northwest African region's offshore prospects is on: BP last year farmed into Kosmos' gas and oil-rich blocks to the north and will operate any floating LNG developed there, while Total has secured two extra blocks although one of those is contested.

Mark Smedley