The NIOC Exploration Department has widened the scope of exploration activities in Persian Gulf, said the official, adding that exploration activities in the Persian Gulf maritime borders is of high significance and the two-year contract between the NIOC Exploration Department and the NDC falls in the same direction.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of the NDC Hamid-Reza Golpayegani said the time ceiling specified for deploying Sahar 1 drilling rig in the area, where the exploration activities are to be launched in Persian Gulf waters, is about four months.
Golpayegani said for the time being, Sahar 1 drilling rig is in South Pars region and upon ending its mission in the zone and technical confirmation of the NIOC Exploration Department, it will held to the area to launch drilling activities in the border regions.
He emphasized that proper safety and constant fulfillment of the executive affairs the specified time span are among duties and priorities of the NDC in the contract.
Golpayegani said the NDC has drilled 113 offshore wells in the offshore fields of Persian Gulf and in areas bordering Turkmenistan in Caspian Sea, while drilling 115 wells in the onshore fields.
He put number of the NDC onshore rigs at more than nine rigs and that of offshore rigs at about three. For the time being, two of the rigs are in the Persian Gulf and one being around Turkmenistan, he added.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of the NIOC Exploration Department Hendi elaborated on policies of his Department and said its new approach is based on de-monopolization and entrusting the exploration projects to the contracting companies. "The contract signed with the NDC falls in the same direction," he added.
Hendi said among other new policies of the NIOC Exploration Department are integration of the geophysics and drilling activities and entrusting the like projects to the competent and qualified contractors.
While emphasizing that the NIOC Exploration Management targets integration of the drilling services, he said the contract for drilling activities in Persian Gulf waters, 15 types of drilling services have been introduced and brought to the information of the contractor.
Commenting on the average exploration drilling activity per the contract signed with the NDC, Hendi said on the average about 1,350 meters are to be drilled and the figure will finally reach 2,000 meters.
He said the drilling contract, signed today, puts the drilling ceiling at four wells and the number of the exploration wells will be drilled in Persian Gulf within two years.
Initially, one well will be drilled in one of the joint oil fields in the Persian Gulf waters and gradually the priorities of exploration in the zone will be announced, according to the official.
He also referred to the program of the NIOC Exploration Management Department for exploration activities in the Oman Sea and said by end of the Sixth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2016-21), an exploration well is to be drilled in the area, which will mark a new chapter in exploration activities of the NIOC.
