Rhino Resources has completed the drilling of the Sagittarius 1-X well at PEL85 license in Orange Basin, offshore Namibia, encountering a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir.
The Sagittarius 1-X well was spud on December 18, 2024 using Noble’s drillship Noble Venturer, reaching the total depth of February 6, 2025.
The well penetrated Upper Cretaceous targets and intersected a hydrocarbon reservoir, with no observed water contact, Rhino reported.
Intensive wireline logging operations allowed for the collection of hydrocarbon samples and sidewall cores. Fluid and reservoir properties will be confirmed with later laboratory analysis, the company said.
The drilling operations on the Sagittarius-1X well have now concluded and Noble Venturer drillship has moved to drill the second well in the program, the Capricornus, which will test a different fairway.
“We are pleased to have safely and successfully completed the drilling of the first exploration well in our program on PEL 85. The hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir encountered is evidence for the effectiveness of charge, although further assessment will be required by Rhino and the PEL 85 JV partners to evaluate the results of the well.
“Our attention now turns to the second target in the program, which is the Capricornus prospect, a NE-SW trending channel system. The Capricornus-1X well is due to be spud within the next 24 hours and is estimated to take 47 days to drill,” said Travis Smithard, Rhino’s CEO.
Rhino Resources holds a 42.5% interest in PEL 85, with partners Azule Energy (42.5%), Namcor (10%) and Korres Investments (5%).