ESSO Exploration & Production Guyana Limited – a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, has contracted the drillship Noble Don Taylor for exploration in the Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana. This is according to a Noble Corporation Fleet Status Report which was published on April 18, 2019.
According to that report, Noble Don Taylor, which is currently operating in the US Gulf of Mexico, has been contracted by Esso Exploration for a period of one year – “early October 2019 to early October 2020.” The full contract cost was not disclosed as was the case in other contractual arrangements.

The Fleet Status Report was published the day ExxonMobil announced its 13th discovery to date – this time at the Yellowtail-1 well – offshore Guyana on the Stabroek Block. In making the announcement, the U.S oil giant had also signalled its intention to bring another exploration drillship.
The discovery at Yellowtail-1 well will add to the recoverable resource of approximately 5.5 billion oil-equivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block. Yellowtail-1 is the fifth discovery in the Turbot area, which ExxonMobil expects to become a major development hub.
Yellowtail-1 encountered approximately 292 feet (89 meters) of high-quality oil bearing sandstone reservoir and was drilled to a depth of 18,445 feet (5,622 meters) in 6,046 feet (1,843 meters) of water.

The well, ExxonMobil explained, is located approximately six miles (10 kilometers) northwest of the Tilapia discovery. The Noble Tom Madden began drilling the Yellowtail well on March 27. It will next drill the Hammerhead-2 well.
It disclosed too, that exploration and development activities continue at other locations on the Stabroek Block. “The Stena Carron is currently completing a well test at the Longtail-1 discovery and upon completion, will next drill the Hammerhead-3 well. Later in 2019, the Stena Carron will drill a second well at the Ranger discovery. The Noble Bob Douglas drillship is currently completing development drilling operations for the Liza Phase One development,” the oil giant detailed.

Drillship Noble Don Taylor will add to the three other drill ships currently operating in the Stabroek Block.
According to the company, there is potential for at least five floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels on the Stabroek Block producing more than 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025. It said too that start-up of the Liza Phase One development is on track to begin by the first quarter of 2020 and will produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day utilising the Liza Destiny FPSO, which is expected to arrive in country in the third quarter.