Belford Dolphin drills another dry hole for ONGC
ONGCs string of dry holes with Dolphin Drillings deepwater drillship Belford Dolphin continues.
Belford is drilling in the deep waters off the eastern coast, at location L1-1 in water depths of 2650 metres. This is Belfords ninth deepwater well and its first in the eastern offshore.
Indications are that this well will also turn up a dry hole like the previous ones in the western offshore. Belford spud the well around 5th February and was set a target depth of 5000 metres.
By last week she had crossed 4500 metres at which point a 7-inch liner was lowered. Target depth reaching Cretaceous sediments is expected to be reached around 5th May.
No testing will be carried out, unless there is any significant show, and Belford will move to her next location in about a fortnight. A source adds that ONGC had identified seven targets between 3200 metres and 4500 metres but logging did not reveal anything positive.
Belfords next location GRK-1 is about 50-km south of L1-1 in water depths of 2690 metres on NELP-I block KG-DWN-98/4. Target depth for Belfords 10th well will be 6000 metres, again in Cretaceous era sediments.
We are told seismic attributes for the 10th location are similar to those of the 9th location. But ONGC feels there could be good structures.
Separately, news is not encouraging from ONGCs own deepwater drillship Sagar Vijay, which is also in the eastern offshore, drilling her fourth well. Sagar Vijay is sitting in 500 metres water depth and drilling to target depth of 3200 metres.
Sagar Vijay is drilling a S profile well and had a minor mishap on 25th April at 3000 metres. The string got stuck while controlling a kick, says a source.
ONGC tried pulling out the drill pipe but couldnt and decided to cut the string, cement the hole and sidetrack the well. Sagar Vijay had some gas shows at this well.
