Chevron and its partner Total have made a significant oil discovery in the deepwater US Gulf of Mexico following drilling at the Ballymore prospect.

The Ballymore prospect is contained in water depth of 6,536ft in Mississippi Canyon.

According to Chevron, Ballymore consolidates its position in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico with the new oil discovery located about 4.8kms from the company’s Blind Faith platform.

Chevron has been producing oil from the Blind Faith discovery since November 2008.

The US-based oil major said that the initial Ballymore well encountered over 670ft net oil pay after being drilled to a depth of 29,194ft. The oil pay revealed excellent reservoir and fluid characteristics, said Chevron.

The company revealed that currently a sidetrack well is being drilled to further evaluate the Ballymore discovery and to start chalking out development options.

Chevron North America exploration and production president Jeff Shellebarger said:  “The Gulf of Mexico deepwater is an integral part of our company’s long-term strategy.

“This discovery is an important addition to our portfolio, especially with its combination of size, quality and proximity to existing infrastructure.”

Drilling at the Ballymore prospect began in late July 2017 and was carried out by Pacific Drilling’s Sharav deepwater drillship.

Chevron U.S.A., a subsidiary of Chevron is the operator of the Ballymore prospect with a stake of 60%. French oil and gas major Total through its subsidiary Total E&P USA holds the remaining stake of 40% in the offshore prospect.

In addition to Ballymore, Total is partnering Chevron in the exploration of six other offshore prospects in Gulf of Mexico following an agreement made in September 2017.

The agreement covers 16 deepwater blocks, spanning two promising plays and areas with one of them being Wilcox, located near the Anchor discovery and the other being Norphlet, near the Appomattox discovery.

Image: The Ballymore well was drilled by Pacific Drilling’s Sharav deepwater drillship. Photo: courtesy of Business Wire.