Perth-based Tap said the sidetrack would be drilled by the Ensco 67 drilling rig to a target depth of about 2000m, about 150m from the Bambra-3 reservoir intersection.

Bambra-3, in production licence TL/1, was drilled in October 1988 and suspended as a potential oil and gas producer.

The Bambra field was developed in 2005 via a long reach horizontal multi-lateral (Bambra-7H) from the Harriet-Bravo facilities.

Tap said Bambra-3 would now be abandoned.

“With the rig on location to abandon the Bambra-3 well, it is an opportunistic time to sidetrack and log the Bambra Field reservoir to better understand oil and gas movement as a result of production from the Bambra Field,” Tap said.

“This new information will help determine the position of future Bambra development wells.”

Bambra-3 operations are expected to take about 10 days.

TL/1 joint venture partners are: Apache Northwest (operator and 68.5%), Kufpec Australia (19.2771%), and Tap Oil (12.2229%).