North Sea Drill in T-Rex Project Disappoints

Maersk Oil  finishes drilling in the T-Rex prospect in the Norwegian Sea, to abandon site

The well found thinner than expected oil-bearing sands of reservoir quality at two intervals in the Lower Cretaceous target horizons and was not tested for production. It was drilled to a vertical depth of 4,157 metres below sea level and will be permanently abandoned.

“While the result of T-Rex is disappointing, we have gathered a large amount of data that we will analyse to understand the wider implications and decide on further activities in the license,” said Morten Jeppesen, Managing Director of Maersk Oil in Norway.

The well is the first to be drilled in the license, which was awarded in the APA Licencing Round in 2006. Maersk Oil took over operatorship in 2009.

“Drilling operations in the Norwegian Sea this winter have been very demanding due to extreme weather conditions. Despite this, operations on T-Rex, which is Maersk Oil’s first operated well in Norway, have been conducted in a safe and efficient manner which gives us experience that we can build on in future exploration wells,” Jeppesen said.

Maersk Oil will drill its next operated well at the Albert prospect in Production Licence 513 later in the year.