Mari Petroleum Company Ltd (MPCL) announced on 14 September 2018 that it has discovered oil in Bolan East 1 new-field wildcat (NFW) well within the ZiaratÂ 2967-2Â EL (Sulaiman Fold Belt) onshore block. It is located near Mach city in Kachhi district in Balochistan province. Drill stem test (DST) was conducted after drilling to a final TD of 1,500 m, reached in mid-August, and the well is reported to have flowed 810 bo/d of 15.6â API through 32/64â choke from the Jurassic Chiltan Formation limestone at a well head flowing pressure (WHFP) of 134 to 167 psi. DST was also carried out in Upper Cretaceous Moro / Mughal Kot formations which flowed 690 bo/d of 15.6â API through 32/64â choke at a WHFP of 142 to 158 psi. MPCL expects an increased flow rate from Moro/Mughal Kot zone if DST is conducted after acid stimulation.  Bolan East 1 was spudded on 22 May 2018 using the âMari-1â land rig with a prognosed TD of 1,550 m. It was targeting the Paleocene Dunghan Limestone, Cretaceous Moro/Mughal Kot and Jurassic Chiltan Limestone formations. Bolan East 1 was drilling at 497 m depth by the end of May 2018. The well experienced gas-kick after reaching 1,296 m depth during late June 2018 and it was subsequently controlled in July.   The Ziarat licence, located in Balochistan province, currently covers an area of 1,205 sq km and the equity split is as follows: MPCL (60%, operator) and PPL Europe E&P Ltd (40%).  MPCL had acquired 220 line km 2D seismic in the block during July-December 2015 period. The company carried out reprocessing of the data using the services of Geofizyka Torun which was completed in April 2017.    Â     Background Information    Mari Petroleum Company Ltd (MPCL) was previously known as Mari Gas Company Ltd (MGCL) - the name was changed with effect from 19 November 2012. The Ziarat EL licence was exclusively awarded to MGCL on 22 January 2003 and it is essentially identical to the acreage that was surrendered by Premier-Kufpec Pakistan Exploration Ltd (PKPEL) from its Bolan EL in August 2002. The work programme for the initial three-year exploration phase (with a minimum financial commitment of US$3.65 million) is believed to have included the drilling of one exploration well.     MGCL assigned a 15% working interest in the acreage to Pakistan Oilfields Ltd (POL) with effect from 7 November 2003 and a further 25% working interest was subsequently transferred to MND E&P Ltd with effect from 25 November 2004 following the acquisition of 62.4km 2D seismic over the block in June 2004.     The licence was granted a one-month extension to the second contract year with effect from 22 January 2005 and POL assigned its entire 15% working interest in the acreage to MND with effect from 27 January 2005, as a result of which the current equity split was as follows - Mari Gas Co Ltd (MGCL) (60%, operator) and MND E&P Ltd (40%).     Although the first well to be drilled during the current licence term, Ziarat 1 (Khost 1), failed to flow from the Jurassic Chiltan Formation due to high levels of H2S (hydrogen sulphide) on reaching a final TD of 1,050m in November 2005, a successful DST over the basal part of the Palaeocene Dunghan Formation tested 6.87 MMcf/d through a 32/64" choke at a wellhead flowing pressure of 664 psi - the gas having a calorific value of 946 Btu/cf (85.49% methane, 1.9% ethane, 6.68% carbon dioxide, 4.45% nitrogen and over 6,000 ppm H2S).     It is understood that the structure is approximately 35 sq km in size and an appraisal well, Ziarat 2 (Khost 2), subsequently flowed 1,994 bo/d from the Palaeocene Dunghan Formation at a depth of around 1,100m through a 64/64" choke on reaching a final TD of 1,209m in July 2008. A further exploration well on the acreage, Shahrig 1, was P&A on reaching a final TD of 1,550m in April 2008.     A one-year extension was granted to the Phase-I of initial term with effect from 22 February 2006. The licence entered into two-year Phase-II of initial term with effect from 22 February 2007. MGCL was granted a one-year extension to the Phase-II of initial term with effect from 22 February 2009. A further one-year extension to Phase-II was granted with effect from 22 February 2010. Mari Petroleum was granted an additional one-year extension to Phase-II of initial term with effect from 22 February 2011.    Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL) entered into the block after acquiring MND Exploration and Production Ltd (MND E&P) on 9 April 2013.     Mari Petroleum was granted two further one-year extensions up to 21 February 2014. The company was granted an additional one-year extension to the Phase-II of initial term with effect from 22 February 2014. A further six-month extension to the Phase-II of initial term of the Ziarat EL was granted with effect from 22 February 2016.  MPCL was granted a first two-year renewal to the Ziarat EL from 2 August 2016 to 1 August 2018. The block area was also reduced from 2,444 sq km to 1,205 sq km.
Bolan E.-1 (Mari 60% op, PPL 40%) in Ziarat 2967-2 EL, tested 810 b/d of 15,6Â° API oil [1/2â choke] from the Jurassic Chiltan Fm , the Upper Cretaceous Moro / Mughal Kot fmâs later gauged 690 b/d of 15,6Â° API oil [1/2â choke], TD=1500m.