Rialto Energy has encountered problems while drilling the Gazelle-P3 well offshore Côte dIvoire
The well was drilled to a depth of 1,070m, at which point the drill-pipe became stuck. During the process of trying to free the drill-pipe, mechanical problems with the rig equipment occurred.
These have since been rectified by the drilling contractor, Transocean and drilling of the 17.5" hole section was expected to be back underway within 24 hours of the incident.
"Following repair of the drilling equipment, the Rialto and Transocean teams have worked together to resolve these initial operational issues,” said Charlie Nieto, chief operating officer of Rialto Energy.
“Operations will now continue with testing of the well expected in around 45 days.”
The Gazelle-P3 well, which was spudded on March 12, 2012, using the Transocean GSF Monitor jack-up drilling rig, is the first of an overall three well drilling programme on CI-202.
The programme is anticipated to take six months to complete, together with testing.
