Akrake Petroleum, an indirect subsidiary of Rex International Holding, is completing drilling operations on a key production well at the Sèmè field offshore Benin, with oil production expected to begin in early February.
The drilling operations on the AK-2H horizontal production well are nearing completion, according to Akrake, with the well expected to be ready for production during the first week of February 2026.
The well targets the H6 reservoir and is designed to drain the western section of the Sèmè Field in Block 1.
Over the coming days, the well will be completed by installing screens across the reservoir sandstone formation and running a down-hole electrical submersible pump. At the same time, the mobile offshore production unit (MOPU) Stella Energy 1 and the floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit Kristina are in the final stages of installation at the field.
Akrake had previously indicated that production would begin once drilling of the AK-2H well reached the reservoir section. The well is one of two horizontal production wells planned for the H6 reservoir, alongside AK-1H, as part of the initial development of the Sèmè Field.
The Stella Energy MOPU was converted from an inactive rig into a mobile offshore production unit by Drydocks World for client Grander Energy in late 2025.
The drilling campaign also included the AK-1P exploration well, drilled to gather data on deeper hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs in the Sèmè Field. Drilling operations encountered geomechanically unstable shale layers in the overburden, leading to delays caused by stuck pipe incidents and the need to redrill sections of the wells. Rex said new geomechanical data obtained during operations helped the drilling team optimize parameters and successfully drill through the challenging formations in the AK-2H well.
Following the startup of AK-2H, drilling of the remaining two wells will be suspended as the contract for Borr Drilling’s jack-up rig Gerd comes to an end. Akrake plans to secure a new drilling rig later in 2026 to complete the remaining wells and assess the potential for an additional production well in the H6 reservoir based on production data, the company said earlier.
Akrake operates the Sèmè Field with an approximately 76% working interest. The government of Benin holds 15%, while Octogone Trading holds the remaining 9%.
Initial production from the field is expected to reach about 15,000 barrels of oil per day once the newly drilled wells are connected to the production facilities.
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