Quietly, it seems, Vietnam has become the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia. The country’s estimated onshore and offshore resources are 6.5- to 8.5 billion barrels of oil and 75- to 100 trillion cubic feet of gas from fields in the Cuu Long, Nam Con Son, Malay-Tho Chu and Song Hong basins.

It hasn’t come easy, and there is political cause for concern. Twenty-five years passed before Vietnam and Indonesia could settle continental shelf delineation and boundary disputes. China needs new energy resources to meet its own requirements and seems intent on exploring territorial waters claimed by Vietnam. China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan are disputing Vietnam’s territorial waters claims of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, the location of a 1988 clash of Vietnamese and Chinese military forces.

Vietnam is also offering investment opportunities to foreign oil and gas companies for much-needed refineries, and for offshore exploration, including Phu Khanh Basin. According to E&P Daily, state-owned PetroVietnam wants to form a joint venture with Saudi Aramco that will allow the state corporation to start exploration in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, PetroVietnam is seeking a meeting with the Saudi Arabian oil minister, which could lead to Vietnamese-Saudi petrochemical and refining projects in Vietnam.

—Larry Prado

1 Colombia

Total reports the discovery of a significant gas-condensate field in the Niscota Block of the Andes foothills, 300 kilometers northeast of Bogota. The exploration well, #1-Huron, was drilled to approximately 5,500 meters in a heavily faulted area, and encountered several reservoirs, one of which was tested at 3,400 bbl. per day of condensate. The other wells still require testing. Paris-based Total owns a 50% interest in the block and partners include Talisman Energy Inc. (30%) and Hocol (operator, 20%). The appraisal of the #1-Huron structure is under way with the start of a 3-D seismic survey that will define this discovery and locate future appraisal wells.

2 Falkland Islands

According to E&P Daily, a Rockhopper Exploration Plc wildcat on its North Falkland Basin acreage has been classified as a discovery. This follows extensive reinterpretation of 3-D seismic data by Rockhopper of well #14/5-1A, drilled in 1998. Although Shell encountered 165 meters of net gas pay, the well was plugged and abandoned. The recoverable contingent gas resources in the structure are estimated at 3.4 trillion cu. ft. on a mean basis. The Johnson structure is in 500 meters of water in license PL032. The company owns 100% interest in four licenses, PL023, PL024, PL032, and PL033, which cover about 5,800 square kilometers in the North Falkland Basin. The Salisbury, U.K.-based company also farmed into licenses in PL03 and PL04. In a regional note, Spain’s Repsol YPF plans in 2010 to start a survey and exploration campaign in international waters between Argentina and the Falkland Islands.

3 Norway

Norwegian firm StatoilHydro has a new gas discovery in the Harepus prospect in the Norwegian Sea. According to IHS Inc., the discovery was in Middle Jurassic rocks about seven kilometers south of Mikkel Field. No formation testing has been done, but extensive data and cores have been collected. Preliminary calculations indicate 500 million to 1 trillion cu. ft. of recoverable gas. The discovery well was drilled in 810 ft. of water to a total depth of 10,377 ft. and terminated in Early Jurassic rocks. The well will be permanently plugged while the rig moves to another location for StatoilHydro on PL159D.

4 Norway

According to E&P Daily, two Titan wildcat prospects drilled east of Visund Field in the Norwegian North Sea are producing for StatoilHydro. The 10,197-ft. #34/8-13 A hit a 49-ft. oil column in Upper Jurassic sandstone, although the underlying Middle Jurassic Brent Group was water-filled. The #34/8-13 S was then drilled 1.7 miles southeast of #34/8-13 A and encountered a 66-ft. oil column in the Brent Group. Both wildcats were drilled in water depths of 1,250 ft. Tieback development to the Visund platform is being assessed.

5 U.K.

In its Wenlock Field Block 49/12 North, ATP Oil & Gas of Houston drilled a horizontal exploratory well into a previously untested fault in the U.K. North Sea. The #W3z was completed in Leman sandstone at a depth of 15,437 ft. and flow tested at a stabilized rate of 59 million cu. ft. per day with flowing wellhead pressure of 2,800 psi. Testing was constrained by separator limitations. Drilled in a water depth of 92 ft., #W3z is the third well drilled from the Wenlock platform. The company plans to place the well on production shortly. The company’s wholly owned subsidiary, ATP Oil & Gas (UK) Ltd., is the operator and owns a 20% working interest. The remaining 80% equity is held by EDF Production UK Ltd.

6 Egypt

According to E&P Daily, Singapore-based Vegas Oil & Gas reports a discovery with the #1X-Geyad exploration well in the onshore Northwest Gemsa Concession in Egypt. Partner Circle Oil confirmed the discovery in the Kareem formation sandstones with oil and gas flowing at a sustained average combined rate from two pay zones of 2,809 bbl. of oil and 3 million cu. ft. of gas per day. The total calculated net thickness of the two pay zones is around 29 ft. The upper pay zone identified in the Kareem Shagar formation is 10 ft. thick (net) and the lower pay zone in the Kareem Rahmi formation is 19 ft. net.

7 Egypt

Another Dana Gas discovery is being reported in one of the company’s concessions in the Egyptian Nile Delta. The #1-Tulip well will add up to 30 billion cu. ft. of gas to the company’s reserves in Egypt. The #1-Tulip is in the West El Qantara Concession, approximately seven kilometers from the recent discovery, the #1-Salma Delta. IHS Inc. reports that the well was drilled to 2,200 meters to the Messinian Abu Madi formation where it encountered 11 meters of net pay in a good-quality Abu Madi sandstone. The production test yielded 11.4 million cu. ft. per day of gas and 318 bbl. of condensate per day. Dana Gas is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates.

8 Uganda

Tullow Oil of London announced that the #3-Kigogole exploration well in the Butiaba region of Uganda Block 2 has encountered more than 20 meters of net oil pay in two separate zones. Approximately one kilometer from the structure’s crest, the well was drilled to a total depth of 575 meters and has been logged and sampled. Excellent Kasa­mene-type reservoir sands were encountered in the lower zone with more than 15 meters of net oil pay. Tullow also encountered a separate five-meter total net reservoir section of thin-bedded, oil-bearing sands above the 15-meter main reservoir interval. The #3-Kigogole is the eighth successful test of the Victoria Nile Delta play fairway within the Lake Albert Rift Basin. The well is being suspended as a future oil producer.

9 Oman

Stockholm-based Tethys Oil confirmed a column of more than 1,312 ft. of heavy-oil saturation in the upper target formations at #2-Saiwan East on Block 4, onshore Oman. A deeper, lighter-oil zone was also confirmed, and produced 280 bbl. per day of oil during testing. Drilling will be suspended until productivity testing of the heavy-oil zones is complete later this year. The well was drilled to a total depth of about 8,038 ft. Logging confirmed the presence of heavy oil in all three expected formations in the upper parts of the well. A gross heavy-oil column of more than 656 ft. covering both the Miqrat and Amin sandstones has been measured. Oil saturation is also calculated in the Buah limestone formation. Tethys has a 50% stake in Block 4, while state-owned CC Energy Development Oman has the remaining 50% stake and is operator.

10 Turkmenistan

In the Turkmenistan sector of the Caspian Sea, Dragon Oil of Dubai successfully completed drilling of its #28/134 Dzheitune (Lam) development well. Initial testing showed production rates of 2,685 bbl. of oil per day and further testing and optimization are scheduled. The #28/134 Dzheitune (Lam) is the second well to be completed from the refurbished Dzheitune (Lam) 28 platform. Two additional wells are planned: the #28/136 Dzheitune (Lam) and the #13/135 Dzheitune (Lam) 13/135.

11 Malaysia

El Dorado, Ark.-based Murphy Oil Corp. has made two additional discoveries on its offshore Malaysia acreage. The Siakap North prospect is offshore Sabah in Block K, about six miles from Kikeh Field in approximately 4,300 ft. of water. The well encountered oil-bearing pay sands of a similar age and quality as Kikeh. Murphy is the operator and holds an 80% working interest. Petronas Carigali holds the remaining 20%. The second discovery reported was in 89 ft. of water at the East Patricia prospect in Block SK 309, offshore Sarawak, Malaysia. Drilling in 89 ft. of water, the company reports that approximately 230 ft. of net gas pay were found. Murphy has a 60% working interest and serves as operator. Petronas holds the remaining 40%.