W&T Offshore announced that it has acquited 20% interest in the Noble Energy's Dantzler prospect in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
The Dantzler prospect is located in Mississippi Canyon blocks 738/782 off Louisiana. Noble has begun drilling operations with the Ensco 8501 ultradeepwater semisubmersible rig, and the company said it expects to reach total depth by year's end. Noble estimates Dantzler's resource potential at 50-220MMboe.
Earlier in September, Noble announced that it had encountered 50ft of net natural gas pay in a high-quality Miocene reservoir at its nearby deepwater Troubadour prospect.
The Troubadour well was drilled to a total depth of 19,510ft, also by the Ensco 8501. Troubadour is located in Noble's Rio Grande complex, which includes Noble's Big Bend, in 7,273ft of water on Mississippi Canyon Block 699.
W&T also announced that it has increased its 2013 capital budget to $550 million, excluding potential acquisitions. The revised budget includes increased deepwater activity, completion costs on exploration wells, and additional seismic and leasehold cost. The revised budget is split 60% for exploration, 40% for development, and allocated 65% to offshore and 35% to onshore.
Tracy W. Krohn, W&T Offshore's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Of the 39 wells we have drilled thus far in 2013, only one well was non-commercial for a 97% overall success rate. The increase in this year's capital budget is a result of our 2013 drilling success and our commitment to pursue additional opportunities in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico and onshore in our Yellow Rose field."
Image: Ensco 8500 series semisubmersible drilling rig
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