LatAmOil: Another discovery offshore Suriname

TotalEnergies (France) and Apache (US) have made their fifth discovery at Block 58 offshore Suriname.

The partners announced the find last week, saying in separate statements that they had found crude oil in Sapakara South-1, an appraisal well drilled in 850-metre-deep water at a site 4 km to the south-east of the Sapakara West-1 discovery. The new well encountered 30 metres of net pay in a single zone of high-quality Campano Maastrichtian reservoirs and will be subjected to flow testing before the end of the year.

The companies have already discovered oil in the Maka Central-1, Sapakara West-1, Kwaskwasi-1 and Keskesi-1 exploration wells. Apache noted last week that an appraisal well drilled at Kwaskwasi had encountered “two thin intervals of black oil above water in the Campano-Maastrichtian [layers],” but it stressed that these reservoirs were “separate and unrelated” to those found at Sapakara South-1.

John J. Christmann IV, the president and CEO of Apache’s parent organisation APA, said: “We are very encouraged by the initial appraisal, having confirmed 30 metres of a single, blocky sand that is full to base with black oil. These are the characteristics necessary to accelerate development in this area of Block 58, which has high prospect density.”