Last checked at 21 Sep 2009 07:03
SOCO International plc
("SOCO" or the "Company")
SPUDDING OF VIODO APPRAISAL WELL ON MARINE XI
SOCO announces that the Viodo 4 appraisal well spudded on 17th September 2009 in the Marine XI Block, located in the Congo Basin, offshore the Republic of Congo. This well is an appraisal of the 1986 Viodo oil discovery and is targeting an extension of the core area of the field drilled by the VIM-1 discovery well.
The Viodo discovery lies in some 65m of water and contains oil in the Toca formation, a lacustrine carbonate developed below the regional salt horizon. Three of the four existing wells, drilled in the period 1986 to 1990, successfully tested oil, but also showed the accumulation to be geologically complex. The VIM-4 appraisal well is designed to add to the technical understanding of the discovery via a comprehensive data collection and well testing programme.
The spudding of the Viodo well is the second well in the most active drilling programme in the Company's history, which includes a 12 month drilling campaign in the Cuu Long Basin, offshore Vietnam, one exploration well on the Marine XIV Block, offshore Republic of Congo, a further exploration well on Marine XI, and two exploration wells on the Nganzi Block, located onshore the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa).
21 September 2009
ENQUIRIES:
SOCO International plc
Roger Cagle, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer
Tel: 020 7747 2000
Pelham Public Relations
James Henderson Tel: 020 7337 1500
Mark Antelme Tel: 020 7337 1505
NOTES TO EDITORS:
SOCO is an international oil and gas exploration and production company, headquartered in London, traded on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. The Company has interests in Vietnam, Thailand, the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) and Angola, with production operations in Vietnam and Thailand.
SOCO holds its interests in the Republic of Congo, all offshore in the Lower Congo Basin, through its 85% owned subsidiary, SOCO Exploration and Production Congo SA (SOCO EPC) which is the designated operator of the two Blocks.