Drilled to a total depth of 1455m, the Lilac-1 well encountered sands with weak gas shows and fluorescence, Roc said.

Preliminary interpretation of mud log, logging while drilling data, indicates the primary reservoir was water-bearing.

Roc said that while a final analysis would be made once the company finished wireline logging, it expected to plug and abandon the well.

The JV is now moving the Premium ‘Wilcraft’ jack-up rig to the second well in the program, Frankland-2, which is also located in WA-286-P.

Frankland-2 will appraise a structure about 1km northeast of Frankland-1, which discovered gas in 2007.

Frankland-2 is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

Interests in the WA-286-P joint venture comprises Roc Oil (operator – 37.5%), AWE Oil (27.5%), Arc (30%) and CIECO (5%).