Underneath the waters of Sarawak, Malaysia, lies a crucial piece of the Southeast Asian energy puzzle. Shell Kerisik exploration well quietly begins drilling, with a self elevating platform firmly penetrating shallow water, probing the oil and gas potential deep in the formation with every footage, and driving the nerves of the regional offshore market.

New exploration well to be drilled near the coast of Malaysia

There is a new trend in oil and gas exploration in Southeast Asia's offshore waters. Shell plans to drill the Kerisik exploration well near Sarawak, Malaysia, using Borr Drilling's Mist jack up drilling platform. The Malaysian Maritime Notice confirms that the Bor Mist platform has conducted drilling in the MLNG block near Sarawak. Mist is a high-performance self elevating platform built in 2013, with a maximum operating depth of 350 feet. This type of platform relies on legs to fix the seabed, has strong stability, and is suitable for drilling operations in shallow waters of Southeast Asia.

Sarawak has considerable oil and gas potential

Sarawak offshore is an important oil and gas production area in Malaysia, and Shell has long been investing in deep and shallow sea oil and gas assets in the area. If the Kerisik exploration well achieves a breakthrough, it will enter the evaluation and development research stage. The local area has mature supporting facilities such as LNG and pipelines, and oil and gas discovery can be efficiently developed. This drilling represents the continuous advancement of shallow water exploration in Malaysia. Shallow water projects have a short cycle and flexible plans. Once commercial reserves are obtained, it will drive the demand for offshore engineering such as platform, pipeline, and facility renovation.

The Southeast Asian offshore market is active

Borr Mist's entry into the operation reflects the vitality of the Southeast Asian self elevating platform market. Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia continue to promote shallow water exploration and the development of old oil fields, with stable demand for offshore engineering services. Shell continues to deepen its presence in the Malaysian oil and gas market, while simultaneously advancing the expansion projects of the Sarawak gas field and Sabah deepwater oil field. Keywords: Shell, Malaysia, Southeast Asia

At present, Kerisik is still in the exploration stage, and the discovery of oil and gas in exploration wells does not necessarily mean the commercialization of the project. Ultimately, it depends on the reservoir conditions and resource scale. Shell drilling Kerisik exploration well highlights the popularity of shallow water exploration in Malaysia. The platform's entry sends a positive signal to the Southeast Asian drilling market, and the positive exploration results will drive the demand for offshore supporting projects.Editor/Gong Ziwei