Drilling at Hibiscus North Gamba encountered nearly 13.5m of oil-bearing reservoir in the Upper Gamba sandstone, at a depth of 2,794m

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BW Energy announces new discovery offshore Gabon. (Credit: Guilherme Reis from Pixabay.)

BW Energy has made a new oil discovery in the Hibiscus North exploration well, dubbed DHBNM-1, currently being drilled in the Dussafu Block, offshore Gabon.

The exploration well is located around 6km north-northeast of the Hibiscus discovery well DHIBM-1 in nearly 115m of water depth.

Drilling operations at Hibiscus North Gamba encountered nearly 13.5m of oil-bearing reservoir in the Upper Gamba sandstone, at a depth of 2,794m.

The company plans to continue drilling using the Borr Norve Jack-up, to meet the secondary targets for the exploration well in the deeper Dentale Formation.

BW Energy has announced the spudding of the well on 28 July and is planning to continue the drilling to a total depth of around 3,500m.

It intends to undertake the logging operations and evaluation of the oil discovery, once the total depth is reached, followed by the drilling of a side-track to delineate the field.

Also, the overall hydrocarbon column is determined, subject to open hole wireline logging operations that will be undertaken after drilling the well to the planned total depth.

Dussafu Block, which spans over an area of 850km2, is operated by BW Energy, with a 73.5% stake, alongside other licence partners Gabonese Oil Company with a 9% stake and Panoro Energy with a 17.5% stake.

DHBNM-1 will add to the previously declared gross identified recoverable resource estimate for the block, which is currently estimated to be about 105 million barrels.

Dussafu Marin Permit is a development and exploitation license comprising six oil fields, including Moubenga, Walt Whitman, Ruche, Ruche North East, Tortue and Hibiscus.