Resan partners investigate oil source in southwest Turkey

Aladdin Middle East Ltd. (AME) reached final depth during a Pinarova-1 well investigation into an oil source in the Resan license, southwest Turkey, partner UK Oil & Gas PLC (UKOG) said on May 3.

Pinarova-1, located 6 km north of the Basur-1 oil discovery, was designed to test a working hypothesis—supported by well and seismic data—that the active light oil (41.7˚API) seep found during summer 2022 in a seismic shot hole above the Pinarova structure is directly fed by and connected to an underlying light oil accumulation of some 9-sq km areal extent within Eocene Hoya group limestones 300-645 m below surface (OGJ Online, Jan. 11, 2023).

The well was drilled to its final depth of 600 m below surface, with electric logs over both the 9 5/8-in. cased hole and 8 1/2-in. open hole section now acquired and delivery of a final log interpretation pending.

Plans are also under way to run a conventional selective-cased hole flow test operation. The proposed uppermost zone, from about 255-285 m, corresponds to a 12-hr period of strong oil odor at surface and recovery of light (38˚ API) oil within fluids returned to surface from the same depth. The sourcing of suitable perforating guns to run in the 9 5/8-in. casing is currently underway.

A sample of the oil recovered from Pinarova, along with samples of the 41.7˚ API oil recovered from the active seismic shot-hole seep and 43˚ API oil from nearby East Sadak field, have been dispatched to the UK for detailed geochemical study.

The study's primary objectives are to determine whether the Pinarova oil sample matches oil from the shot-hole seep, whether it is derived from the same general Upper Jurassic source as East Sadak, or if it has another origin from shallower Cretaceous origin.

The geochemical results will assist current investigations into the possibility that a deeper light oil accumulation may also exist below the Pinarova area within Cretaceous limestones, UKOG said.

Main target reservoirs in the Resan license are Upper Cretaceous-aged Beloka and Mardin Group carbonates in the Reshhan-Bashur anticlinal. The license contains an estimated 37 million bbl recoverable oil. A seismic program and five-well commitment drilling program are planned at Resan in 2023.

AME is operator in the license (50%) with partner UKOG Turkey (50%), a UKOG subsidiary.