The suspension came after work exceeded the capabilities of the rig and fishing equipment without freeing the assembly at the well in Queensland’s PL 202.

Mosaic said it was confident it could dislodge the gear from inside the casing using a larger rig and a stronger work string.

Before to the assembly was trapped, the well reached a measured depth of 2,692.5 metres, about 3m vertically above the reservoir target.

When coiled tubing operations restart, Waggamba-1H will be drilled underbalanced through a gas and oil/condensate reservoir laterally up to 300m, the company said.

Waggamba-1 produced gas and oil/condensate intermittently between 1981 and 1991, but it was plugged-off in 1994 because of a mechanical failure of the packer during well operations.

Until the plug, the well produced about 39,000,000 million cubic feet of gas and 22,000 barrels of oil/condensate without any water production from the main target reservoir, the Permian Tinowon Sandstone, Mosaic said.

Mosaic Oil has a 100% interest in Waggamba-1H.