Large oil flow from Bass Strait

Press, 6 July 1983, Page 30

Large oil flow from Bass Strait

NZPA Sydney The largest Bass Strait oil flow since exploration was renewed in 1981 has been reported by the partners in the Basker One well in the Gippsland Basin. The consortium, led by Shell Development (Australia), Ltd, said that the Basker One exploration well flowed oil at 5722 barrels a day during a production test.

The flow was accompanied by a flow of gas at the rate of 141,585 cubic metres a day.

The test was conducted over two three-metre thick slices of the well between 3090 metres and 3098 metres.

The well is at present being prepared for a second production test to prove a deeper interval which has also given encouraging results in exploration testing.

The well flowed 3130 barrels a day during cleanup operations last week.

Shell, which owns 40 per cent of the well, said when

announcing the results of the clean-up flow that the oil-bearing sands are thin and that it preferred to view the find only as “encouraging.” Other interests are News Corp, Ltd, 20 per cent, TNT Management Pty, Ltd, 20 per cent, Crusader 15 per cent, and Mincorp Offshore Pty, Ltd, 5 per cent. Elsewhere, a CSR subsidiary, Delhi Petroleum Pty, Ltd, reported a flow of 263,000 cubic metres of gas a day from its Toolachee 20 appraisal well in the Cooper Basin of South Australia. The hole is in the Patchawarra formation about 70km south-west of Moomba. Delhi said the test was conducted over the interval 2226 to 2273 metres.

The company said the test gives more information on the development of reservoir sandstones in the southern portion of the Toolachee gas field. The well is now drilling on down to its planned 2417 metres.

Interests are Delhi 30 per

cent, Santos, Ltd, 50 per cent, Vamgas, Ltd, 10 per cent, and South Australian Oil and Gas Corporation Pty, Ltd, 10 per cent.