Total postpones drilling in Bengkulu due to rig problem
Wednesday, December 11 2013 - 02:04 PM WIB
Total E&P Indonesie Mentawai BV may postpone the drilling plan for the Rendang-1 well in Mentawai, Bengkulu from early next year to the middle of next year due to difficulties to procure rig.
?Initially we planned to use the Ocean Monarch rig, but the rig has problem with the company which previously used it,? Head of Media Relations of Total E&P Indonesie (TEPI) Kristanto Hartadi told Petromindo.com on Wednesday.
He said the Ocean Monarch rig is just one of the alternatives. ?Because of that, our first drilling plan which was initially scheduled for early next year will be possibly postponed to the middle of next year,? he said.
Rendang-1 well is located in the Mentawai offshore block, about 75 km from the nearest shoreline and about 128 km from the city of Bengkulu. The well is planned to be drilled to a depth of about 1,000 meters.
Total has allocated US$40 million for the drilling.
The company said in a statement that the drilling activity will be a historic event, because there have never been exploration activities in Bengkulu offshore areas and similar basins in the region. If successful, it will an important breakthrough for the national oil and gas industry.
Editing by Johannes Simbolon