Tap said personnel recently returned to the Ensco 106 rig at Marley-1 following a temporary halt in operations during Cyclone Clare. But drilling has now been suspended due to mechanical problems encountered upon well re-entry.

“Suspending the Marley well at this stage will allow the joint venture partners to re-evaluate the design of this high-pressure well, such that the primary objective can be drilled and fully evaluated,” managing director Peter Underwood said.

“The Ensco 106 rig will move off the Marley-1 location later this week and will return to drill other Harriet joint venture wells in March.”

Marley-1 is about 3.5 kilometres west-southwest of the existing Campbell Platform.

Partners in TL/5 are Apache Northwest (68.5%), Kufpec Australia (19.2771%) and Tap (Harriet) (12.2229%).

Elsewhere in the Barrow sub-basin, the Stena Clyde drill rig has spudded Yarri-1. The well is expected to take 29 days to complete and reach a total depth of 2891 metres.

Immediately before Yarri-1, the rig drilled Tap’s Woollybutt-5 well, which has been suspended as a potential future production well.

“The Yarri-1 well is designed to test the Basal Mardie Geensand and Upper Barrow Group Sandstones with secondary targets in the Intra and Lower Barrow Group Sandstones, within an interpreted 4-way dip closure to the southeast and east of the Woollybutt North and Woollybutt South Oil Fields,” Underwood said.

“The results of the Yarri-1 well will be combined with that of the Woollybutt South Field to determine potential development options of the Woollybutt South Oil Field and any Yarri-1 discovery.”

Located about 10km southe-ast of the Woollybutt (Four Vanguard) FPSO, Yarri-1 was a sole-risk well. As a result, Tap’s equity interest in the Yarri prospect, subject to industry arrangements, is 18.75%, while operator Eni Australia holds 81.25%.

WA-25-L joint venture partners are: Eni Australia (65%); Mobil Australia Resource (20%); and Tap Oil (15%).