Ophir Hits Cote d'Ivoire Duster

An exploration well offshore Cote d’Ivoire drilled by Ophir Energy has turned out to be dry. 

Ophir and partner African Petroleum (each with 45% interests) said May 15 that the Ayame-1X exploration well in Block 513, Cote d'Ivoire, had reached total depth of 5,394 metres but, despite some oil shows, significant hydrocarbons were not encountered.

Full analysis is ongoing but the well will be plugged and abandoned as a dry hole, said AP, adding that operator Ophir had done an excellent job and completed the well under budget. Both put the cost of the exploration well at $20.5mn gross. The well was targeting oil rather than gas - although Cote d'Ivoire does have gas producing fields. Total, Eni and Tullow are among the companies exploring the offshore.

The West Saturn drilled the Ayame-1X (Photo credit: the ship's owner Seadrill)

African Petroleum said: “Our full attention now returns to concluding the farm-outs in Senegal and The Gambia so that we can return to exploration drilling in the near future.” That region offshore northwest Africa, including Mauritania, has become an exploration hotspot since Kosmos-BP’s sixth discovery and Total’s claims to more acreage.

Mark Smedley