Bowleven flags potentially 'significant' find at Sapele-1

Bowleven may have encountered a significant hydrocarbon column at its Sapele-1 exploration well offshore Cameroon as technical limitations forced it to stop drilling when it hit a high pressure gas reservoir.Sapele-1 in the Douala Basin drilled down 4,733 metres before "a rapid influx of very high pressure gas" the Cretaceous led to the bottom hole section being cemented and abandoned in advance of planned appraisal drilling."The ground-breaking Sapele-1 well has now confirmed the presence of oil, condensate and gas across multiple intervals in the Cretaceous, further highlighting the significance and nature of this potentially transformational play in the Douala Basin," said chief executive Kevin Hart.An additional rig has been contracted to target both the Tertiary and Cretaceous substantial prospectivity identified on the acreage. It's expected on contract by the end of this month and will drill up to four wells on the Etinde permit."Sapele-1 results bode well for an exciting and successful campaign in 2011," Hart said.