Heritage Oil updates operations

Heritage Oil Limited, an independent upstream exploration and production company, announces an operational update at its African and Middle East properties.

The company said that the Kingfisher-2 appraisal and exploration well in Block 3A, Uganda, was spudded on 26 April.

This deviated well is being drilled from the lakeshore by the Nabors 221 rig and is targeting multiple pay zones in the Kingfisher discovery located beneath Lake Albert. The well is currently at approximately 2,660 metres measured depth (2,195 metres true vertical depth).

Hydrocarbon shows to date are analogous to those encountered in the original discovery well, Kingfisher-1. It is expected that the well will reach its target depth of 4,100 metres in 40 to 60 days time.

Meanwhile, drilling in Block 1, Uganda, is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2008. A multi-well programme will target a number of relatively shallow structures characterised by amplitude anomalies on seismic data.

A mobile rig that is currently drilling in the Butiaba region of neighbouring Block 2 will be used for this programme.

Providing details of operations at Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the company said that a 2D seismic programme of approximately 330 km that commenced in April 2008 has just been completed in the Miran Block, of Iraq.

Initial interpretation of the seismic shows two large structures, each with multi-zone potential reservoir targets. A drilling programme is currently expected to commence prior to the end of 2008.

Regarding Oman operations, the company said that development of the West Bukha field is ongoing.

The drilling rig “Courageous” arrived on location in mid-April and has been contracted to deepen the West Bukha-2 well and to drill the West Bukha-3 and West Bukha-4 wells. West Bukha-2 was drilled in 2006 and production tested 12,750 bopd and 26 MMscf/d of gas. The West Bukha-3 is being drilled and is currently at a depth of approximately 2,670 metres.

Installation of the West Bukha wellhead platform was completed on 2 June and production is expected to commence during the second half of 2008.