Anadarko Petroleum, Dominion Exploration & Production and Spinnaker Exploration announced a deepwater discovery on their Spiderman prospect in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and said they are considering how the prospect and others will be tied back to a regional production hub so that eastern Gulf gas and oil can be efficiently delivered into the Gulf Coast pipeline grid.

“Anadarko made an early commitment to the eastern Gulf, and we’re seeing that pay off with our third discovery there this year,” said Jim Emme, Anadarko vice president of exploration. “We have a large inventory of prospects in the eastern Gulf and we expect this area to become an important part of Anadarko’s worldwide growth portfolio.”

The Spiderman discovery well was drilled in 8,100 feet of water to a total depth of 18,065 feet targeting Middle Miocene sands between 14,000 and 17,000 feet. It encountered more than 140 feet of net pay in its two primary targets, meeting pre-drill expectations. The well is located on DeSoto Canyon block 621, about 180 miles southeast of New Orleans.

Spiderman is expected to be tied back as a satellite to a hub production facility. Anadarko, its partners and other operators in the area are currently evaluating development scenarios, including consideration of a regional hub capable of handling production from several deepwater discoveries. A central hub could service a large area, including Anadarko’s Atlas and Jubilee discoveries.

“We believe our existing discoveries support a commercial project, and with each new discovery, the economics of producing from the eastern Gulf just get better and better,” Emme said.

Anadarko is the operator and holds a 45% working interest in the project. Dominion holds 36.67% and Spinnaker Exploration holds 18.33%.

Anadarko currently has access to 552 blocks in the Gulf of Mexico; 299 of those are deepwater. Within the overall eastern Gulf area, Anadarko has a 100% interest in 39 blocks and a partial interest in an additional 10 blocks.

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