Total’s offshore Ivory Coast exploration well Saphir-1XB on Block CI-514 has struck oil, the company said on Friday.
Marc Blaizot, Senior Vice President, Exploration said, “Drilled in an abrupt margin play, this first well is the first discovery in the San Pedro Basin, a frontier exploration area in Ivory Coast. Having confirmed the presence of a petroleum system containing light oil, we will next evaluate this very promising find and focus on its extension to the north and east.”
Saphir-1XB sits in 2,300 meters of water and is the first well in Block CI-514.
It was drilled to a total depth of 4,655 meters, encountering around 40 meters of net pay containing light 34° API oil, in a series of 350 meters of reservoirs.
Total E&P Côte d’Ivoire operates Block CI-514 with a 54 percent interest, alongside CNR International (36 percent) and PETROCI Holding (10 percent).
