In a press release, Deming was philosophical about setback with the Aya #1 deep water well and stressed that Murphy would take this stumbling block at its own stride. According to Deming, "We have been conducting a very active deepwater exploration program in Malaysia for some time [and] the Aya well is our first dry hole in Block K following our initial success at Kikeh #1. This well underscores the risks in exploring a new basin."

"Our successes at Kikeh and Kikeh Kecil, however, all point to the significance of this Basin and we will continue pushing forward our program. The rig is now moving to drill the Siakap prospect in Block K, east of Kikeh Kecil," he added.

Murphy's rig at Aya #1 encountered wet reservoir sands at the dill site, which forced the abandonment. The well was drilled to a depth of around 4,478 feet on a fault separated structure down dip to the company's Kikeh Kecil oil discovery.

Murphy is the operator of Block K with an 80% equity stake. The remaining interest is held by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd. Under Malaysian law, no international company is allowed to hold a 100% stake in the country's oil and gas fields.