By Toyin Akinosho
Italian giant ENI has secured the Saipem 12000, a sixth generation ultra-deepwater drillship, for a drilling programme to include a one-well drilling slot in Rabat Deep Offshore in Morocco. It is currently anticipated that the rig will arrive on location in the latter part of Q1 2018 and that the drilling of the RD-1 well on the JP-1 prospect will commence shortly thereafter.
ENI operates the Rabat Deep Offshore licence with 40%. Its partners include Australian Woodside 25%, Morocco’s state hydrocarbon company ONHYM 25%, and the London listed minnow Chariot 10%).
The JP-1 prospect is a large, four-way dip closed structure of approximately 200 square km areal extent, with Jurassic carbonate primary reservoir objectives which, Chariot claims, has an “independently audited gross mean prospective resource estimate of 768MMbbls”.
ENI purchased its 40% on the asset from Chariot, who it is partnering Chariot in return for a capped carry on the drilling of the JP-1 prospect as well as a carry on other geological and administrative costs relating to Rabat Deep Offshore and a recovery of Chariot’s investment prior to farm-out.
