Statoil has completed the drilling of an appraisal well in the Blamann prospect in the Tampen area of the North Sea. The company failed to detect any oil or gas in the feature.
The objective of the well was to prove the presence of hydrocarbons in the Blamann structure. The well 33/9-20 S is located three kilometers north-east of the Murchison platform in the UK sector, west of the 33/9-6 Delta discovery.
We are naturally disappointed, says Tim Dodson, senior vice president for exploration in Statoil’s Exploration & Production Norway business area. We will now need to reassess our plans for this structure.
The development is an unfortunately timed blow, coming just days after UK and Norwegian government ministers met to draw up plans to ensure a commitment to North Sea exploration is maintained in order to ensure resources are fully exploited.
A sidetrack to further explore the Blamann prospectivity is being evaluated.