Kosmos Drills Second Dry Hole off Mauritania

US independent Kosmos Energy has been disappointed by a second dry well offshore Mauritania, following a spate of six gas discoveries in the area during 2015 to May 2017.

It said December 12 that it had completed drilling the Lamantin-1 deepwater exploration well in Block C-12, but had found water-bearing rock with only residual hydrocarbons. It said the drillship will now proceed as planned to test the Requin-Tigre prospect offshore neighbouring Senegal, after which it will cross the Atlantic to conduct two high-impact oil tests offshore Suriname (South America) in mid-2018.

Kosmos operates the C-6, C-8, C-12, C-13, and C-18 contract areas offshore Mauritania that have combined acreage of over 40,000 km² gross. Kosmos’ interest in Block C-12 (as at C-8) is 28%, while BP has 62%, and Mauritanian state SMHPM has 10%.

Kosmos had a series of six major gas discoveries offshore Mauritania/Senegal, and plans with partner BP to take a final investment decision in 2018 for a floating LNG project based on its Tortue gas find. Its success prompted majors like ExxonMobil and Total to sign up for acreage nearby. But Kosmos/BP’s more recent quest to prove up oil – including its previous Hippocampe-1 well – has so far been unsuccessful.