Eni restarts exploratory drilling with Saipem offshore Libya

Eni resumed its exploration activities in the offshore area northwest of Libya, specifically in Block 16/4, after a hiatus of more than five years. This comeback includes re-entering the exploratory well C1-16/4 (also known as BESS-3), where drilling operations were previously halted in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ensco rig 4005 started drilling the C1-16/4 well on 11 March 2020, reaching a depth of 1,012 ft. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the well was secured and temporarily abandoned, leading to the rig’s decommissioning on 14 April 2020.

Saipem’s sixth-generation semisubmersible drilling rig Scarabeo-9 is currently re-entering the well to complete drilling operations, aiming to reach the final planned depth of 10,520 ft.

The exploratory well C1-16/4 is situated in Contract Area D, previously known as MN 41, in the offshore region northwest of Libya. It lies at a water depth of about 743 m, approximately 95 km from the Libyan coast and around 15 km from the Bahr Es Salam gas field.