Vanco group finds oil offshore eastern Ivory Coast

A group led by Vanco Cote d’Ivoire Ltd. has a deepwater light oil discovery on Block CI-401 off eastern Ivory Coast.

Independance-1X, the group’s second exploratory well on the block, went to 4,132 m in 1,689 m of water 58 miles south-southeast of Abidjan. It penetrated the targeted objective and found a series of good-quality sandstones containing light oil.

Full analysis of well results, including wireline logs, reservoir pressures, and fluid samples, confirms that the well penetrated 26 ft of hydrocarbon pay in a good-quality Turonian-aged sand package. Hydrocarbon samples indicate 40° gravity. The well will be temporarily abandoned.

Independance-1X is the group’s second exploratory well on the 152,948-acre block that lies in water 950-2,100 m deep. The well is one of the deepest-water exploratory wells drilled to date in the eastern offshore Ivoirian basin.

Drilling is in progress on one more deepwater exploratory well on the block, Albacore-1X, 21 miles east of Independance-1X on a similar large Turonian deepwater slope channel stratigraphic trap.

Vanco is block operator with 28.34% participating interest. Lukoil Overseas Cote d’Ivoire Ltd. has 56.66%, and Ivory Coast’s state Petroci has a 5% participating interest and 10% carried interest.