Namibia: Welwitschia drilling resumes

Operator Repsol resumed drilling of the Welwitschia-1A well in the Walvis Basin on 4 June after a series of technical problems. The well started drilling on 23 April, using the Rowan Renaissance newbuild drillship, but needed to be re-spudded 50 metres away after the wellhead housing slumped, then was further delayed by a fault in the blow-out preventer control system. Partner Tower Resources said similar problems with new drillships were not uncommon. Recent drilling has had little success, but companies with acreage offshore Namibia say that, with just 14 wells drilled to date in four basins along the 1,600km coastline, it is too early to write off the country’s potential.