Maersk hits hydrocarbons in Danish North Sea

Maersk Oil has discovered hydrocarbons with an exploration well in Denmark’s North Sea waters, the Danish exploration and production company announced on Tuesday.

The company did not give details of the find, but said the Xana-1X well had been drilled to a total drilling depth of 5,071 metres, in the Jurassic formation, at a water depth of 68 metres.

The well is located in licence 9/95. It was spudded in December 2014 by the Noble Sam Turner jack-up rig, owned and operated by Britain’s Noble Drilling. Maersk Oil said the well is now being plugged and abandoned.

Maersk Oil is the operator at licence 9/95, with its parent company, A.P. Møller-Mærsk, holding a 34-percent stake. Dong E&P, a subsidiary of Britain’s Dong Energy, owns 20 percent, while Danish state oil and gas company Nordsøfonden controls 20 percent, Noreco Oil Denmark, the local subsidiary of the Norwegian company, holds 16 percent and local company Danoil Exploration owns 10 percent.