Delays hit GSPC drilling at wells KG#31 and KG#22
GSPC is still nowhere near reaching TD at exploration wells KG#31 and KG#22 at discovery block KG-OSN-2001/3.
Six months have passed since rig Deep Driller-1 spud KG#22 on August 30 and five months since rig Atwood Beacon spud KG#31. GSPC has not yet been able to pull out the â€کpacker’ from KG#31, after completion of the open hole Drill Stem Test on February 3.
“Attempts so far have been unsuccessful,â€‌ reports a source. “They’ve re-run the string to pull out the packer but the string is not getting latched to the top of the packer.
â€‌ Normally, we are told, “the packer should come out after one attemptâ€‌. GSPC might eventually have to sidetrack the well to save time and drill ahead.
If so, it would be the third sidetrack on this well. The first sidetrack had to be carried out, “because the target was missedâ€‌ while the second one was “due to failure of the casing shoeâ€‌.
One piece of good news from KG#31 is that GSPC was able to successfully pull out the DST tools from the well. Little different is the situation at KG#22.
At this well, directional drilling was done till 5500 metres when the drilling team discovered that the condition of the â€کhole’ may not be good to â€کrun’ logging tools and casing. Instead of sidetracking at 5500 metres, it was decided to go back 1000 metres and sidetrack from 4400 metres.
Late last week, the downhole motor driving the bit reached 4800 metres. Before reaching this depth, we hear, GSPC took out a 27-metre long, 4-inch diameter core between 4644 metres and 4671 metres.
We hear that, “99.5% of the core was successfully recovered.â€‌ Elsewhere, Essar Oilfield Services tells GSPC that semi-submersible Essar Wildcat will be ready to begin drilling by March 1.
Essar Wildcat reached Vizag on September 10 last year and is being fitted out with a new 15,000-psi Blow Out Preventor and other equipment as part of a major upgrade. Shipped from Singapore on February 6, the BOP should reach Vizag by February 23 and be loaded onto the rig by February 25 or 26.