The three unidentified wells are part of a six-well program which is expected to generate a peak daily production rate of 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent.

In a statement the company said, “The first two wells have produced a combined flow rate of 15,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day and are continuing to ramp up. A third well was placed on production over the weekend, [with] the remaining three wells scheduled to be on-line by early 2005.”

According to an understandably optimistic Anadarko President and CEO, Jim Hackett, “Clearly, we’re excited to achieve first production at Marco Polo, and we look forward to continuing our commitment to deepwater exploration, [which] is a significant component of Anadarko’s strategy that will drive our company's growth for years to come.”