Ecopetrol Strikes Oil in the Gulf of Mexico at Warrior Well

Ecopetrol has struck oil in the Gulf of Mexico at its Warrior well. Located deep in the gulf’s Green Canyon, the exploratory drilling reached a total depth of 8,216 meters (26,955 feet) to discover more than 210 net feet (64 meters) of “high quality oil in multiple reservoirs from the Miocene era,” according to Ecopetrol.

Through its Ecopetrol America Inc. subsidiary, the state-controlled Colombian oil giant has a 20% stake in the well. Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Anadarko US Offshore LLC operate the well and hold a 65% stake. MCX Exploration LLC controls the remaining 15% of the well.

Ecopetrol, which just increased its stake in Warrior from 15% to 20% in August, expects the well to use the production facilities of the nearby Marco Polo platform, which is also operated by Anadarko.

“We are pleased to end the year with this significant discovery that contributes to our primary goal of increasing reserves,” said Juan Carlos Echeverry, president of Ecopetrol. “This success demonstrates Ecopetrol’s ability to strengthen its presence in one of the most prosperous oil areas in the world, the Gulf of Mexico. We needed to improve the aim in exploration and we are doing it.”

The Warrior well marks the fifth Ecopetrol discovery in the United States, a region where the company’s production has tripled throughout 2016, from just 3,500 barrels per day in July to around 12,000 per day now. The company is also encouraged by another find that comes through a strategy to partner with other companies in order to diversify exploration risk.

The bulk of the firm’s U.S. output comes from its 31.5% stake in the Gunflint well that started producing oil this year in the Gulf of Mexico, hitting 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent output per day in mid-August. Another contributor is its 9.2% holding in the K2 field, which is located just a few kilometers from the Warrior and Marco Polo sites.

In the past, Ecopetrol has made discoveries in the United States in Rydberg and Leon in 2014 following its first two discoveries at Dalmatian South and Parmer in 2012.

Ecopetrol is also partnering with Anadarko on a well in the Caribbean. They were expected to begin drilling on their Kronos discovery in Colombian waters this year.