Premier Oil has announced that the company has started drilling the Gajah Laut Utara-1, which is the first of two offshore exploration wells in the Tuna production sharing contract (PSC) area in the Natuna Sea north of Indonesia.

The company is using semi-submersible Ocean General rig for the drilling activities.

Drill results of the Gajah Laut Utara-1 well, which was started on 11May 2011, are expected in the mid-June and will be followed by the drilling of the Belut Laut-1 well.

Both these wells will target multiple stacked Miocene and Oligocene reservoirs in fault dependent closures, and are independent of each other.

The Gajah Laut Utara-1 well has a low-case pre-drill potential of 40 million barrels of oil equivalent and a medium-case potential of 90 million boe on a gross basis.

The Belut Laut-1 well has a low-case pre-drill potential of 40 million barrels of oil equivalent and a medium-case potential of 90 million boe on a gross basis.

Premier Oil owns a 65% stake in the Tuna PSC, reports upstreamonline.com.