Talos Energy LLC’s Zama-1 well has discovered an 1,100-ft contiguous gross oil-bearing interval on Block 7 about 37 miles offshore the Port of Dos Bocas, Mexico (OGJ Online, May 22, 2017).
The well contains 558-656 ft of net oil pay in Upper Miocene sandstones with no water contact. Initial tests recovered light oil samples with 28-30° gravity oil and some associated gas.
The well is in 546 ft of water in the Sureste basin and drilled to a target vertical depth of 11,000 ft. Talos reported gross initial gross oil-in-place for Zama-1 ranges 1.4-2 billion bbl, which exceeds predrill estimates. The company also said the resource may extend into a neighboring block.
The Ensco 8503, a moored floating drilling rig, spudded Zama-1 on May 21. The company is setting liner to protect the discovery before drilling deeper to additional exploration targets at a total vertical depth of 14,000 ft. There are no plans for further testing.
Zama-1 is the first exploration well to be drilled on acreage awarded in Mexico’s first international licensing round in 2015 (OGJ Online, July 16, 2015).
Contact Tayvis Dunnahoe at [email protected].