DNO to Drill Two Exploratory Wells in Oman's Block 36

Norway’s DNO International plans to drill two exploratory wells in Oman’s Block 36 next year, Oman Observer reported Saturday citing a company report.

According to company, two of the three exploration wells drilled previously on the block have pointed to the presence of source rock found in a majority of the oil and gas fields discovered elsewhere around the Arabian Peninsula.

Block 36 spreads over 18,000 sq km in the prolific Rub Al Khali basin.

“The company has completed reprocessing of the existing 2D seismic data and continues with interpretation to identify drillable prospects on the block. Acquisition of new 2D seismic data over areas of identified prospectivity will commence in Q3 2014 in preparation for drilling two exploration wells in 2015,” Oman Observer quoted from the company report.

DNO has a 75 per cent participating interest in the Block acquired last year via a farm-in agreement concluded with the previous operator, Allied Petroleum. The Norwegian firm has since assumed operatorship of the block.

But it’s the offshore Block 8, with the producing Bukha and West Bukha fields in the north of Oman, that represents the mainstay of DNO’s operations in the Sultanate. Daily production from Block 8 averages 13,814 barrels per day (bpd) of oil and 36.2 million cubic feet per day (MMcfd) of marketable gas, Oman Observer said.