Operator Austral Pacific Energy said Honeysuckle-1, in PEP 38741, intersected the main Miocene-aged Mt Messenger target at the expected depth. The Mt Messenger sands and secondary objectives, including channel sandstones of the overlying Urenui formation, were interpreted to contain oil.

“There was clear evidence of oil within reservoir but unfortunately not at sufficient oil saturation to justify flow testing,” chief executive Dave Bennett said today from Wellington.

“Oil is obviously widely distributed within the Mt Messenger sandstones; and any of the upcoming Miromiro-1 and subsequent wells of this type could be successful where Honeysuckle was not,” he added.

Meanwhile, upgrading of Cheal facilities in PEP38738 has been completed and operations to wax cut Cheal-A3X and commence steam circulation of the well to optimise oil flow have started. Bennett said the Mt Messenger production test, which previously produced an average of 320 bopd, would restart shortly.

However, he cautioned that unless present testing verified a commercially viable discovery, no more work, including the drilling of additional wells would be carried out.