Tullow Oil said on Friday it would abandon drilling operations at Beebei-Potaro exploration well in offshore Guyana after results showed the well bore water.
The group, which holds 37.5% of the Kanuku block where the well lies, said it would work with joint venture partners before deciding on its next steps.
Spain's Repsol, which operates the Kanuku licence, and TOQAP, a JV between TotalEnergies and Qatar Petroleum, own the remaining shares in the block.
The Noble Regina Allen rig drilled the Beebei-Potaro well to a Total Depth of 4325 metres in 71 metres of water and the well has been plugged and abandoned.
London-based Tullow Oil said the well still displayed "good quality reservoir" in its primary and secondary targets. "The well encountered good quality reservoir in the primary and secondary targets but both targets were water-bearing," it said.
Tullow will integrate the well results into its regional subsurface models and work with its joint venture partners before deciding on next steps.
(Reporting by Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Subhranshu Sahu)