Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – The US-based Predator Oil & Gas Holdings has made the initial drilling for the Guercif Basin oil well in northeastern Morocco.
The company announced that it made the initial drilling of the MOU-1 well according to schedule on Sunday, June 20, after numerous false starts last year. It could take up to 20 days to both finish the drilling and run the wireline logs — the practice of drawing up a detailed record of the geologic formations disrupted by the borehole.
“MOU-1 has been given a ‘tight hole’ status and therefore unless circumstances dictate otherwise, there will be no more information released until wireline logs have been evaluated,” reads a statement from Predator.
The well has been under construction for over 18 months, as the company’s efforts were marred by COVID-19-related obstacles. Predator had to pause its drilling operations in its Guercif well last year amid safety measures and travel restrictions affecting workers’ commute.
Read also: Nigerian Official Lauds Start of Construction on Morocco Gas Pipeline
“We are delighted to have completed the rig mobilisation, rigging up and spudding of the MOU-1 well safely and in complete alignment with the pre-drill schedule,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Predator Oil and Gas.
“This is an exciting well for the Company and its shareholders and represents the culmination of work over the last 18 months, during the COVID crisis, to create the opportunity to drill in Guercif at this time,” added Griffiths.
According to another, earlier statement, Predator’s Guercif digging activity began on June 16, when the Star Valley Rig 101, contracted by Predator Gas Ventures Ltd, was mobilized to northeastern Morocco to drill the MOU-1 well.
Besides its drilling efforts in Morocco, Predator runs onshore projects on the Caribbean island of Trinidad; it also “owns and operates exploration and appraisal assets in licensing options offshore Ireland,” noted the statement.
