OREANDA-NEWS.  The following operational update relates to Cairn’s 2013/14 exploration drilling campaign offshore Morocco where drilling operations commenced in late October 2013.

The FD-1 exploration well is located in 1,500 metres (m) of water approximately 120km offshore Morocco in the Foum Draa block (Cairn 50% Working Interest (WI) and Operator). The primary target of the well was a Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous deep-water turbidite slope fan and channel complex.

The FD-1 well has reached a Total Depth of 5,255m but has not encountered clastic reservoirs, although it has penetrated the oldest stratigraphic section of any deep water exploration well along the Moroccan margin. Gas shows and gas composition ratios encountered in the well have confirmed an active thermogenic petroleum system. The well is now being plugged and abandoned.

Cairn is the Operator through its wholly owned subsidiary Capricorn Exploration and Development Limited with Joint Venture partners ONHYM, San Leon Energy plc, Serica Energy plc and Longreach Oil & Gas Limited.

The next well in Cairn’s planned exploration programme is in the Juby Maritime III block in Morocco (Cairn 37.5% WI, Operator) and it will target a Middle Jurassic carbonate prospect located in 100m of water where the primary objective is some 1,000m below the 1969 Cap Juby oil discovery in the Upper Jurassic. Operations will commence on Cap Juby once the FD-1 well has been successfully plugged and abandoned.