Libya’s state National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced today that Italian company Eni North Africa has resumed its exploration activity in the offshore area northwest of Libya in Block 16/4 after a hiatus of more than five years.
The NOC said Eni N.A. has resumed drilling operations in the exploration well C1-16/4 (prospectively BESS-3), which was halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ensco rig (4005) commenced drilling operations on well (C1-16/4) on March 11, 2020, reaching a depth of 1,012 feet. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the oilwell being secured and temporarily abandoned, and the rig was decommissioned on April 14, 2020.
It is worth noting that the Italian company Saipem’s Scarabeo-9 rig is currently re-entering the well and completing drilling operations to reach the final planned depth of 10,520 feet (3,200 meters).
The exploration well (C1-16/4) is located in Contract Area D, formerly known as (MN 41), in the offshore area northwest of Libya, at a water depth of approximately 743 meters. The well is approximately 95 kilometres off the Libyan coast and approximately 15 kilometres from the Bahr Essalam gas field.
