Highlights
- Additional drilling consumable supplies arrived in Cuba last week, next shipment scheduled to arrive next weekend. Together they are projected to be sufficient to complete the drilling of the Alameda-1 well.
- Drilling operations have restarted in preparation for drilling ahead
Melbana Energy Limited is pleased to report it received last week the first deliveries of the consumable drilling supplies needed to resume drilling operations. Drilling ahead will restart once all preparatory work (including weighting up the mud system, installation of 10kpsi BOP system, drill-out of the suspension plug, formation integrity test etc.) has been satisfactorily completed, currently projected to be about the end of next week. Additional supplies of drilling materials are due to arrive in Cuba on or about 20 December 2021. These additional supplies are currently estimated to be sufficient to complete the drilling of the Alameda-1 well.
Melbana Energy’s Executive Chairman, Andrew Purcell, commented: “It has been an impatient wait for all of us here given the results of the drilling program to date and the hint of something else promising appearing just as we stopped drilling, but safety comes first and we now look forward with great anticipation to drilling ahead and seeing what else there is to discover in this well”.
The consumable supplies required to complete our in-country inventory for drilling the Zapato-1 well have been reviewed considering international supply chain logistic constraints and contingency shortfalls are being actioned accordingly.
Melbana’s operations team has also now been supplemented with several external experts familiar with the specific drilling conditions that have been encountered to date. Their contributions and insights have been well received and forward operational planning amended accordingly, as
appropriate.
Civil works for the Zapato-1 well pad are now complete, with works there now focussed on improving access roads before then turning to the testing of nearby water wells to ensure they can supply an adequate volume of water at the required rate for when drilling operations commence there following the completion of the Alameda-1 well.
COVD-19 infections rates have reduced materially in Cuba in recent months, but Melbana continues to operate strict prevention and testing protocols at the well site.
