Shell Offshore Inc. reported its sixth oil discovery in the Norphlet geologic play in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico.
Drilled to a total vertical depth of 29,000 ft, the Dover well encountered 800 net ft of pay in the Jurrassic Norphlet. The well is in 7,500 ft of water about 170 miles offshore southeast of New Orleans on Mississippi Canyon Block 612. Shell is the sole interest holder.
The discovery lies 13 miles from the Appomattox host platform and is considered an attractive potential tieback, the company said. The Appomattox host platform is on location in the gulf and is expected to start production before yearend 2019.
Shell’s major deepwater hubs are positioned for production expansion through near-field exploration and additional subsea tiebacks. The company expects its global, deepwater production to exceed 900,000 boe/d by 2020, from already discovered, established areas.
The Appomattox host platform is owned by Shell (79%) and Nexen Petroleum Offshore USA Inc. (21%).
