Oil and gas firm Neptune Energy has struck hydrocarbons at its Dugong well in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, just two weeks after the drilling started.
"Upon entering the reservoir, logs and cuttings have identified hydrocarbons and a decision has been made to initiate coring," Neptune said Friday.
"The operations in the reservoir section are still at an early stage and final results are not yet available. A contingent side-track may be drilled to further define the extent of the discovery," the company said.
The Dugong well is located 158 kilometers west of Florø, Norway, at a water depth of 330 meters, and is close to the existing production facilities of the Snorre field. The reservoir lies at a depth of 3,250 - 3,400 meters.
The drilling program comprises a main bore with a down-dip side track, subject to the results of the main bore.
Dugong has been drilled by the Deepsea Yantai, a new semi-submersible rig, owned by CIMC and operated by Odfjell Drilling.
Dugong partners are Neptune Energy, (operator and 40%), Concedo (20%), Petrolia NOCO (20%), and Idemitsu Petroleum Norge (20%).