Asian Oil Drilling Up 18%

Exploration and delineation drilling in Asia last year jumped 18 percent from 1999 with China the most active center for drilling outside of North America, IHS Energy group said. About 1,050 exploration and delineation wells were spudded in the region in 2000, the equivalent of 37 percent of all such wells drilled outside of North America, the petroleum information services group said. A delineation well is spudded after an exploration well to define the size of a hydrocarbon find and its commercial feasibility. IHS said China accounted for about 800 onshore and offshore wells of which up to 30 percent might be wildcats. Drilling by indigenous Chinese operators accounted for 75 percent of the completions. In Southeast Asia, 202 wildcat or delineation wells were completed, showing a 50 percent rise on the 1999 level, with significant increases in Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. Indonesia was the hotspot in Southeast Asia with 75 exploration and 25 delineation wells. Activity in Indonesia was 10 percent up on the previous year. - (Reuters)