Liberia gets Turonian, Albian oil discovery

African Petroleum Corp. Ltd. said the Narina-1 well on its 100% owned LB-09 block offshore Liberia found 69 ft of net oil pay in the Turonian and 36 ft in the Albian.

The zones contain good-quality oil of 37° gravity and 44° gravity, respectively, and the company plans an active exploratory and appraisal program in Liberia this year.

Hydrocarbon shows were encountered over a 170-m interval in the Turonian, and no oil-water contact was found.

This discovery confirms the prospectivity of both of these highly successful West African exploration plays on African Petroleum’s Blocks LB-08 and LB-09 that total 7,135 sq km.

Oil was found in good-quality reservoirs in a Turonian submarine fan system extending across a prospective area of 250 sq km. In addition, excellent quality oil was found in the Albian sands near a very large Albian submarine fan prospect.

In the shallower Campanian, Santonian, and Coniacian horizons, 709 ft of water-bearing net reservoir sands were encountered. While hydrocarbons were not expected due to absence of a prospect trap, the confirmation of good quality thick reservoir sands greatly reduces the risk in a number of large prospects covering more than 500 sq km at these levels which are known to be oil bearing in the region.

In the deeper Cenomanian and Albian, 300 m of source rocks were encountered that will be incorporated into the regional geological model to high grade the prospect portfolio as well as the surrounding open acreage.

The Maersk Deliverer semisubmersible drilled Narina-1 to a total depth of 15,912 ft in 3,750 ft of water.

African Petroleum said the well “identified a potentially large accumulation of light good quality oil at the Turonian level, as well as excellent quality oil in the Albian.” It also found thick reservoir sands in shallower zones and thick source rocks that together with the discoveries in the Turonian and Albian has transformed the prospectivity of the blocks and the surrounding open acreage.