Continental-GeoPetro opens tender for Bengara-II drilling program

Dallas-based junior oil firm Continental Energy Corporation said Wednesday the operator of Bengara-II PSC, Continental-GeoPetro (Bengara-II) Ltd (CGB2), had called for tenders to provide turn-key, integrated drilling services to drill the first of four planned exploration wells on the block

Continental said in a statement that the first well of the 2006-07 drilling program will be the Seberaba-1 exploration well which is programmed to be drilled to a total depth of 4,200 meters (13,780 feet).

Bid submission closes on Dec. 18 and CGB2 expects to award the drilling contract shortly thereafter, Continental said.

According to Continental, the Seberaba-1 is the deepest of the four planned wells and is located to test four different oil-prospective stratigraphic levels on a large fault closed structure which Continental has mapped using seismic data.

Bengara-II PSC is located onshore East Kalimantan. Continental holds an 18 percent interest in the block, while CNPCHK (Indonesia) Limited and GeoPetro hold 70 percent and 12 percent interests, respectively. (Robert)