It’s taken just eight months since its discovery, but MarinerEnergy Inc. says that the Apia Project, a deep-water Gulf of Mexicosingle subsea well, is completed and is producing nearly 40 MMcf/dof natural gas. Located in Garden Banks block 73, the well isproducing at a water depth of 700 feet, connected to a hostplatform approximately three miles away.

Gas was first discovered there in September 1999, and the subseawell was drilled and developed in eight months, representingMariner’s “second successful deep-water project” brought onstreamsince late December 1999, according to Robert E. Henderson, Marinerchairman and chief executive officer.

Mariner, which partnered on the earlier deep-water Gulfdiscovery with Pioneer Natural Resources Co., CNG Producing Co. ofNew Orleans and Westport Oil and Gas Co., participated in thediscovery on the Devil’s Tower Prospect in Mississippi Canyon 773late last year (see Daily NGI, Feb. 16). The Devil’s Towerdiscovery gave Mariner seven exploratory successes out of 13 wellsdrilled in the Deepwater Gulf since becoming an independent companyin mid-1996.

Mariner officials also announced yesterday that a productiontest has been completed at its Black Widow deep-water Gulfdiscovery, located in Ewing Bank block 966 at a water depth of1,840 feet. The subsea well tested at restricted daily rates ofapproximately 6,500 barrels of oil, and 6.3 MMcf/d of gas through a32/64th-inch choke with a flowing tubing pressure of 4,362 poundsper square inch.

The Black Widow well, which is expected to begin production inthe fourth quarter of 2000, will be tied into British Borneo’sMorpeth platform at Ewing Bank block 921, which is the hostfacility. Mariner is the operator, and holds a 69% workinginterest, with Santa Fe Snyder owning the remaining 31%.

Mariner Energy Inc. is based in Houston, and its principaloperations are in the Gulf of Mexico and along the U.S. Gulf coast.The company is majority owned by an affiliate of Enron NorthAmerica Corp., which, with a group of Mariner employees, providedequity financing for a management-led buyout of the independent in1996.

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