The Explorer drill ship (Photo: Transocean)
Portia is the fifteenth discovery that the operator BP has drilled in Block 31. The Well is located approximately 7 kilometres to the north of the Titania discovery and 10.5km south-west of the Plutao Field.
Portia was drilled by the Global Santa Fe Explorer drill ship, in a water depth of 2,012 metres, some 386 kilometres north-west of Luanda and reached a total depth of 5,678 metres TVD below sea level.
This is the fourth discovery in Block 31 where the exploration well has been drilled through salt to access the oil bearing sandstone reservoir beneath.
The well test results confirmed the capacity of the reservoir to flow in excess of 5,000b/d under production conditions.
Partners in Block 31: Sonangol is the concessionaire. BP (operator) (26.67%), StatoilHydro (13.33), ExxonMobil (25%), Sonangol (20%), Marathon (10%) and Tepa (a subsidiary of the Total Group) (5%).