The Perth-based company said yesteday that DST-2 yielded an average flow rate of 300 barrels of oil per day of 32 degree API oil through a 32/64-inch choke, with no water production and low gas-to-oil ratio.

Last week, only a small amount of oil was recovered from an initial speculative test on the fractured granite basement play where hydrocarbons were encountered during drilling. Hardman said at the time that this was most likely due to a restricted and tight fracture system.

Meanwhile, the company said the sand tested by DST-2 was a relatively thin interval, of 2-3m thickness. Hydrocarbons were indicated over this zone while drilling, but wireline pressure testing did not yield definitive results.

Hardman, which has equal partnership rights to Block 2 with Tullow Oil, said the gravity of the recovered oil was very similar to that seen in the lower zones at its Waraga-1 well, 19km to the northeast.

Final flow and build-up tests are currently being concluded, after which the main oil-saturated sand in the discovery well (965-975m interval) will be tested by a third drill stem test later this week.

The Mputa-1 well is located 220km northwest of the Ugandan capital Kampala and onshore 8km from Lake Albert.