Exploration/discoveries

APA Takes Good With Bad on Block 58 in Suriname

Sapakara South flow test encouraging, but Bonboni well result disappoints.

Maersk Valiant drillship.
Maersk Valiant drillship.

APA Corp. reported a successful flow testing at the Sapakara South appraisal well and disappointing drilling results from the Bonboni exploration well on Block 58 offshore Suriname.

The company said earlier in 2021 that the Sapakara South-1 (SPS-1) well encountered approximately 30 m of net black-oil pay in a single zone of high-quality Campano-Maastrichtian reservoir. Restricted flow and subsequent pressure buildup tests averaged 4,800 B/D of oil for 48 hours. Without flow restrictions, a development well would produce at a significantly higher sustained rate, according to APA.

Preliminary analysis of the data indicates a single reservoir in SPS-1 proved a connected resource of 325 to 375 million bbl of oil in place. Seismic imaging of the Sapakara reservoir supports the likelihood of more potential, said APA.

The Bonboni-1 probe, the first exploration well in the northern portion of Block 58, was drilled in water depths of nearly 2000 m approximately 45 km from APA’s discoveries in the Maka-Kwaskwasi-Sapakara-Keskesi trend and encountered high-quality, water-bearing reservoirs in the primary Maastrichtian and Campanian objectives. The well will be plugged and abandoned. APA said that while the well wasn’t commercial, it extended the proved petroleum system in the area.

Following completion of operations at Bonboni, the Maersk Valiant will drill the Krabdagu exploration prospect, located 18 km east of SPS-1. Krabdagu has a similar seismic signature to the two successful wells at Sapakara and the discovery well at nearby Keskesi. Success at Krabdagu could materially increase the scope and scale of a development in the central portion of Block 58. The company envisions a potential black-oil development hub that would accommodate production from Krabdagu, Sapakara, and Keskesi.

APA Suriname holds a 50% working interest in the block, with TotalEnergies, the operator, holding the remaining 50% stake.