At the International Association of Drilling Contractors World Drilling Conference in Copenhagen, a business and research analysis firm, Douglas-Westwood, stated that three regions of the globe—the Arctic, Brazil, and West Africa—will see the most drilling activity in the foreseeable future. According to Douglas-Westwood, "emerging markets will have the most impact on global drilling in coming years with the Arctic becoming "the next frontier in offshore discovery."

According to the USGS Arctic Oil and Gas Report, the sum of the mean estimates for each Arctic Circle province indicates that 90 billion barrels of oil, 1,669 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids may remain to be found in the Arctic, with approximately 84% expected to occur in offshore areas.

Brazil and West Africa, according to Douglas-Westwood, have combined forecast expenditures totaling $126 billion in 2015.

Accounting for 31% of total oil production in 2000, worldwide offshore production is now estimated to have grown to 33%.

Douglas-Westwood forecasts drilling in Iraq to increase by 24% through 2015, with an increase in active rig demand in Latin America and major Asian markets, including China and India.

1 Mexico

Pemex has made a deepwater gas and condensate discovery in the Mexican sector of the Gulf of Mexico. The #1-Piklis exploration well was drilled to 17,717 ft. and targeted a deep Oligocene and Miocene structure parallel to Lakach Field. According to initial production tests by Mexico City-based Pemex, the gas reserves are 400- to 600 billion cu. ft. The new discovery was drilled in 6,325 ft. of water and production could be tied into the Lakach Gas Field infrastructure.

2 Argentina

In Argentina's San Jorge Basin, Crown Point Ventures Ltd. reported multiple hydrocarbon-bearing zones with a potential pay thickness of 17 meters, with an average porosity of 22% at #25 El Valle. The #25 El Valle is the second of a six-well drilling program. Logs and samples taken while drilling indicate four hydrocarbon-bearing principal zones in the Canadon Seco and Caleta Olivia formations with a combined potential pay thickness of 16.5 meters and an average porosity of 22%. According to Oil and Gas International, this drilling program is part of a larger 20- to 25-well program to be conducted at El Valle over the next 24 months. Crown Point has a 100% interest in wells planned on the Canadon Ramirez exploitation concession in the Chubut Province over the next year, and one 50% interest well at Laguna de Piedra planned for the first quarter of 2012. Crown Point's headquarters are in Calgary.

3 Ghana

Dallas-based Kosmos Energy's #1-Banda exploration well in West Cape Three Points Block, offshore Ghana, has discovered oil in Cenomanian-aged reservoirs. Partner Tullow Oil indicated that the well encountered Cenomanian turbidites over a gross vertical interval of 300 meters and that the interval contains more than 100 meters of low-porosity sandstone and three meters of approximately 40-degree-gravity API oil pay. The #1-Banda was drilled to 4,580 meters in 921 meters of water. After completion, the well will be suspended for potential future use and the rig will move to complete the drilling of #1-Makore, which is targeting Turonian age reservoirs in the south of the West Cape Three Points Block. Kosmos Energy is operator of the West Cape Three Points Block and #1-Banda with 30.875% interest in partnership with Anadarko Petroleum, holding another 30.875%, and Tullow Oil, 22.896%; E.O. Group, 3.5%; Sabre Oil & Gas Holdings, 1.854%; and the Ghana National Petro­leum Corp. with 10% carried interest.

4 Germany

In the German state of Mecklenberg-Vorpommern, Central European Petroleum has drilled the #11-Barth exploration well to 3,400 meters. The Calgary-based company is drilling ahead in a horizontal section within the targeted Zechstein Stassfurt carbonate. According to the company, approximately 530 meters of the formation have been horizontally drilled and have found hydrocarbons with continuous shows of methane and pentane. Site mud logs have recorded gas readings of up to 2,800 units and measurement-while-drilling and drill cuttings analysis show fracturing and that a portion of the reservoir has porosity values above pre-drill expectations. After drilling is completed a well testing unit will determine the commercial potential of the reservoir at the Grimmen 2 license area.

5 Poland

In Poland, Aurelian Oil & Gas of London reported results from its Siekierki Tight Gas Project at the Poznan East & North and Bieszczady concessions. At #3-Trzek, operator PGNIG Poland completed a 1,060-meter horizontal section and encountered a 142-meter section of Rotliegendes gas. The operator expects to complete fracturing and a flow test in the third quarter of 2011. The #1-Krzesinki is under way as a 4,150 meter vertical well and initial results indicate favorable permeability: the well is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year. At #1-Bieszczady, the well is producing gas and oil from fourth drillstem test in the secondary target and the operator will set casing to protect the well against overpressure. Drillstem testing showed a 31-meter zone that is producing gas and oil. PGNIG Poland is drilling ahead to primary targets between 4,000-4,800 meters at #1-Bieszczady.

6 Egypt

Apache Corp., based in Houston, reported five new oil discoveries in the Western Desert oil and gas province of the Faghur Basin in Egypt. The #4-I West Kalabsha logged 79 ft. of net pay in Jurassic Safa sands and during testing, the well flowed 7,150 bbl. of oil and 11.4 million cu. ft. of gas per day. The #1-F Faghur North logged 25 ft. of net pay in the Safa and Paleozoic Desouqy sands and combined tests had a rate of 1,444 bbl. of oil and 3.9 million cu. ft. of gas per day. The #1X-Faghur South logged 38 ft. of net pay in Safa and Cretaceous AEB-6 sands. The Safa tested at 2,768 bbl. of oil and 4 million cu. ft. of gas per day. The #1X-Huni logged 27 ft. of net pay in the AEB-3 sands and the well tested 970 bbl. per day from the AEB-3E sand. The #1X-Neith North logged 20 ft. of net pay in the AEB-3 sands and 57 ft. of net pay in the Safa sands. A Safa well test is planned this month.

7 Kurdistan

Initial tests in Kurdistan at WesternZagros Resources' #1-Sarqala from Jeribe flowed at rates up to 9,444 bbl. per day of 40-degree-gravity API oil with no water. The flow rate was reached after flowing and stabilizing the well at progressively larger choke sizes until reaching the limits of the surface equipment. The final rate was achieved on a 52/64-in. choke with a wellhead pressure of 2,475 psi. The sidetrack, drilled to 3,893 meters, was originally drilled in 2008-09 and suspended after equipment problems prevented logging. WesternZagros is based in Calgary.

8 Kazakhstan

According to E&P Daily, Max Petroleum of London struck oil at #1-NARS in Kazakhstan's Block E. The exploration well is on the Narmundanak South prospect and was drilled to 5,214 ft. Electric logs at the site indicate 13 ft. of net oil pay at depths of from 4,200-32 ft. in Triassic, with porosities ranging from 18% to 25%. A fluid sample taken from 4,210 ft. showed 32-degree-gravity API oil. Max Petroleum expects to test #1-NARS for commercial viability in the third quarter of 2011.

9 Russia

An oil discovery was announced by International Petro­leum of Moscow at its #8-Krasnoleninskiy exploration well in Western Siberia. The company's Krasnoleninskiy project is in Russia's Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. Preliminary core sample analysis indicates that approximately 23 meters of Bazhenov were penetrated with fractured core over 1.8 meters. In the upper Tyumen, 15.4 meters of oil-saturated core was recovered between 2,703-30 meters. At the nearby #1-Krasnoleninskiy discovery well, a drillstem test produced about one cubic meter of pure oil during a two-hour draw-down test on the Upper Tyumen. A similar drillstem test on this second well produced four cubic meters of oil and mud filtrate during a two-hour limited draw-down test on the formation. According to Oil and Gas International, the company owns a 75% equity interest in the exploration rights to four blocks in Western Siberia. The four blocks have been extensively surveyed by 2-D seismic, which identified more than 30 prospects including five "superstructures" with a number of potential stacked Paleozoic- and Cretaceous-aged zones.

10 Australia

A new oil field in South Australia's Cooper Basin has been reported after a discovery at #1-Vintage Crop by Senex Energy. The venture is Cooper Basin Block PEL516. According to the company, it encountered a 10-meter gross oil column in the McKinlay Member with a three-meter net pay in the McKinlay Member of the Murta. A drillstem test on the McKinlay Member recovered 39 bbl. of 54.6-degree-gravity API, light brown oil in a three-hour flow period. Preliminary interpretation of the drillstem test and wireline log data indicates at least 305,000 bbl. of oil in place. Oil shows were also detected in the Namur Sandstone and the Birkhead formations. The Brisbane-based company plans to deepen the well into a Permian sequence to provide a preliminary evaluation of unconventional gas targets in the coals and shales underlying the oil targets.