Owners clam up on ‘ultra-deep’ Blackbeard well in Gulf’s OCS

Information about the progress or failure of the Blackbeard West No. 1 exploration well, headed for a record 32,000 feet on the Gulf of Mexico’s continental shelf, apparently will remain under wraps for as long as it takes to drill the well.

“This well will be drilled as a tight hole and no information will be released while we are drilling,” said David Trice, chief executive officer of Blackbeard partner Newfield Exploration.

The Blackbeard well, spud Feb. 6 on South Timbalier Block 168, is operated by ExxonMobil and could take up to a year to complete. Rowan’s newest and most powerful drilling rig, the Tarzan jack-up class Scooter Yeargain, was selected for the job.

The Scooter Yeargain was designed specifically to withstand the high pressure, high temperature environment associated with deep drilling. Blackbeard would be one of the few exploration wells to penetrate the so-called “ultra-deep” zone below 25,000 feet on the continental shelf and the first to reach 32,000 feet.

In addition to ExxonMobil and independent Newfield, companies that hold a stake in Blackbeard are BP and Brazil state-owned oil company Petrobras.

—Ray Tyson