Amerada Hess strikes the second gas in Tanjung Aru Block

US oil, gas firm Amerada Hess has made its second discovery on its Tanjung Aru PSC in the Makassar Strait with the Papandayan 1 well, Rigzone reported on Thursday.

The well is located approximately 1,820 feet of water and approximately 9 miles west of its first discovery, Halimun 1.

The well was drilled to a total depth of 8,080 feet and abandoned on July 30, 2002 as an untested gas discovery.

Halimun and Papandayan wells are the first of a two-well Amerada?s exploration program on the block for this year.

The Tanjung Aru Block is in one of the most prospective areas of the Kutei Basin, location of a number of recent sizable oil and gas discoveries. It covers an area of some 4,160 sq km and has water depths ranging from 492 feet to 5,577 feet.

The Block is operated by Amerada Hess in a 50:50 percent partnership with Malaysia's state-owned Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas). (*)