The Starfish-1 exploration well drilled offshore Ghana is to be plugged and abandoned after disappointing drilling results, said operator Ophir.
The well, in the Offshore Accra Contract Area, was drilled in 1490m water by the Stena DrillMax drillship in the frontier Keta basin, within the West African Transform Margin play.
Wireling logging confirmed the presence of a sandstone interval in the target interval, but logs show these to be water wet, said Ophir. A secondary target, Orca, contained poorly-developed sands, which were also water-bearing.
Nick Cooper, Ophir CEO, said: “Whilst it is disappointing that the first well on this licence has been unsuccessful, our primary reason for farming-in to this acreage was the play potential outboard of the Starfish prospect. The results of this well will provide valuable geological information as we look to analyse the further prospectivity of the licence area.”