Hardman Resources Ltd announced that the spudding of the Sotto-1exploration well in Mauritania PSC A. This is the first exploration well in the 2005 Mauritania offshore drilling campaign. The well was spudded on 6 August by the drilling rig Stena Tay and the operation at midnight GMT 7 August was drilling at 1,074m. The Sotto-1 well is located approximately 110 km southwest of Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, and 42km south of the Chinguetti Field. Water depth is 320m and the planned total depth of the well is 3,330m below rig datum.
The well is targeting canyon fill sands in a Lower Miocene interval, of approximately the same age as the Chinguetti and Tiof Oil discoveries in PSC B. This well is expected to yield valuable information about the southern part of PSC’s A and B, and if successful will extend the area of the prospective Miocene basin.
Hardman’s 2005 exploration drilling programme is expected to include wells in the Woodside operated PSC’s A, B and C(6), and the Dana operated PSC 1.
Hardman interests in PSC A and the Sotto -1 well are
Woodside (operator) 53.846%
Hardman 24.3%
BG Group 13.084%
Fusion/Premier 4.615%
ROC 4.155%
