Project Profile
Location: Tunisia, Africa
Production: 612 BOPD (one well only now)
Area: 16,802 acres
Water Depth: Between 12 and 15 metres
The Ras El Besh Field Concession covers an area of 16,802 acres and is located in the central area of the Sfax Offshore Exploration Permit in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Gabes 12 km south of the Kerkennah Islands and approximately 37 km southeast of the city of Sfax. The partners received a Development Concession over the Ras El Besh prospect in July 2008, which has a term of 30 years with a condition that development start within two years. The REB3 well was recognized by the Tunisian government as the commitment well under the terms of the Sfax Offshore Exploration Permit. Drilling began at REB3 on June 16, 2008 and reached total depth of 2,204 metres. The primary target El Garia Formation was 80 metres thick and showed oil; however, the reservoir was tight and no tests were conducted. The secondary target Reineche Formation provided positive results. Well logs and formation pressure tests identified the presence of oil in a high-quality, 10 metre-thick carbonate interval, which was subsequently confirmed by down-hole sampling.
DNO International has agreed a farm-in deal for the Ras El Besh Concession in the Republic of Tunisia. The agreement will see the deal will see it get an 87.5% interest in both the permit and the concession from Atlas Petroleum Exploration Worldwide (APEX). The REB2 well tested at an average rate in excess of 612 BOPD on a 6 hour test. The Plan of Development for Ras El Besh Field is predicated on the use of a drilling jack-up that departs at the end of the initial drilling program. The well(s) are drilled through a pre-installed template that has slots for the drilling of up to six wells and which is fitted with docking piles for the future installation of the MOPU as shown. Initial drilling operations from the well template will be centrally located within the large Ras El Besh geologic feature. This will facilitate the directional drilling of multiple development wells as necessary to adequately develop the field. Water depths in the area where the production facilities will be located, and from which drilling operations will be conducted, are between 12 and 15 metres, which is insufficient for a mooring station, an FSO or the loading of a sales tanker. Consequently, it is anticipated that the FSO will be anchored approximately 1-1/2 km southeast of the location of the jack-up facility (MOPU) where water depths exceed 20 metres.
Operators:
DNO International: Operator with 87.5% interest
Atlas Petroleum Exploration Worldwide Ltd. (APEX): 12.5% interest