Akrake targets end-January production at Sèmè Field offshore Benin
Akrake Petroleum expects to start oil production at the Sèmè Field in Block 1 offshore Benin by the end of January 2026, subject to completion of drilling operations on the AK-2H horizontal production well. Drilling of the reservoir section of AK-2H is expected to begin early in the week of 12 January.
The mobile offshore production unit Stella Energy 1 and the floating storage and offloading unit Kristina have been upgraded and positioned on location in preparation for production startup.
Akrake’s drilling campaign at Sèmè comprised one exploration well, AK-1P, targeting deeper hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs H7 and H8, and two horizontal production wells; AK-1H and AK-2H, drilled in the H6 reservoir unit.
Drilling operations encountered geomechanically unstable shale layers in the overburden above the reservoir, leading to multiple stuck pipe incidents and requiring redrilling of the overburden section. Updated geomechanical data acquired during drilling was used to optimize drilling parameters, allowing the drilling team to successfully drill through the overburden in the AK-2H well.
Following startup of production from AK-2H, drilling operations on the remaining wells will be suspended as the contract period for the jackup drilling rig Borr Gerd reaches its end.
The operator plans to mobilize a new drilling rig later in 2026 to complete the drilling program. Production data from AK-2H will be used to assess the potential for drilling an additional H6 production well during the second drilling campaign.
