Noble Helium Limited is in the final stages of preparations to commence helium gas extraction at the North Rukwa project in Tanzania in the second half of September, as planned, following the rig’s departure from the UK.
The Marriot Drillmec HH102 #16, originating from the UK, was loaded onto the MV Bohwa Tsingtao ship, which departed from Hull, UK, en route to Dar es Salaam. The vessel is expected to reach the Mbelele-1 well site location in mid-September.
The drilling program remains on schedule for spudding in Q3 and completion well ahead of the arrival of the summer rains.
Noble Helium’s Chief Executive and Co-founder, Mr Justyn Wood, remarked, “Our drilling program involves a multitude of intricate elements, yet with our proficient, dedicated, and aligned team and service partners, we are maintaining our timeline to drill and complete these wells within the 2023 dry season, as intended.”
He further stated, “The decision to engage the highly skilled Marriott drilling company is already proving beneficial. They have achieved all milestones in the post-well rig maintenance program and efficiently prepared the rig for our drilling program within the designated timeframe.
Their prior expertise, not only in operating this rig but also in East Africa, will be of immense value.”
He expressed his enthusiasm for Noble Helium’s prospects, saying, “This is an exceptionally thrilling period for Noble Helium as we aim to sustain our 100% success rate for exploration wells drilled into Basin Margin Fault Closures (BMFCs) within the East African Rift System (EARS).”
He continued, “We have various play types in our North Rukwa Basin portfolio. However, two decades ago, we drilled BMFCs to establish that the EARS could indeed host substantial oil and gas resources. This play type has maintained an unbroken record of achievements after 14 exploration wells. The distinguishing factor in our North Rukwa basin BMFCs is that geological evidence points to helium gas, instead of petroleum oil and gas, within the geological traps.”