KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 11): Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), through its subsidiary Petronas Suriname E&P BV (PSEPBV), has made its first discovery of hydrocarbon in Suriname on the northeastern coast of South America.

Petronas said this follows the successful drilling of the Sloanea-1 exploration well located in Block 52. PSEPBV is the operator of the block and holds 50% participating interest, together with ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Suriname BV, which holds the remaining 50%.

"We are pleased with the positive results of the well. It will provide the drive for Petronas to continue exploring in Suriname, which is one of our focus basins in the Americas," said Petronas vice president of exploration, upstream, Emeliana Rice-Oxley.

"We look forward to further successful collaboration with our partner ExxonMobil and further strengthen our relationship with the government of the Republic of Suriname, as a solutions partner, progressing towards delivering clean and reliable energy to the market," Rice-Oxley said in a statement today.

The statement said Block 52, which covers an area of 4,749 km², is located north of the coast of Paramaribo, Suriname's capital city and is situated within the prospective Suriname-Guyana basin, where several major hydrocarbon discoveries have been made.

The Sloanea-1 exploration well was successfully drilled to a total depth of 4,780 metres using the Maersk Developer rig.

The Sloanea-1 exploration well encountered several hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone packages with good reservoir qualities in the Campanian section. The well data proves excellent calibration of the hydrocarbon potential of the block. Further evaluation is being undertaken to determine the full extent of the discovery.

In addition to Block 52, PSEPBV also holds a 100% participating interest and operatorship in Block 48, and a 30% non-operated participating interest in Block 53.