Rex International Holding has successfully completed the drilling operations for the AK-2H production well in the Sèmè Field, offshore Benin, West Africa.
The well was drilled by Akrake Petroleum, an indirect subsidiary of Rex International, marking a key milestone in the company’s development of Block 1.
The AK-2H well was drilled horizontally for approximately 1,405 metres through the reservoir section, intersecting around 950 metres of oil-saturated sandstone from the Cretaceous-age Abeokuta Formation, known as the H6 reservoir.
The remaining section consists of non-reservoir shale. Importantly, no water-bearing sand was detected during drilling, suggesting a strong delineation of productive reservoir zones.
Advanced logging-while-drilling tools were deployed throughout the operation, enabling continuous geo-steering of the wellbore to precisely target oil-bearing sandstone.
This technology helped optimise the well trajectory and minimise the risk of drilling into non-productive intervals.
Rex reported that the reservoir quality met expectations, with an average porosity exceeding 19 per cent and an average oil saturation above 70 per cent.
These values are considered positive indicators for potential productivity from the H6 reservoir.
The completion phase of the reservoir section incorporated state-of-the-art sand control and production optimisation features.
The horizontal section was fitted with screens embedded with autonomous inflow control valves (AICVs), which will help maintain open flow paths and prevent sand entry while balancing inflow across the wellbore.
The AICVs are engineered to reduce unwanted water production and maximise oil recovery over the well’s lifecycle.
Installation of an electrical submersible pump (ESP) above the screened interval is currently underway.
The ESP will assist in maintaining optimal drawdown pressure and enhancing oil lift capacity once production commences.
According to the company, work on the final hook-up of the mobile offshore production unit and the floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel is progressing on schedule.
Akrake Petroleum holds operatorship and a 76 per cent working interest in Block 1 under a production sharing contract awarded by the government of Benin in December 2023.
The government of Benin retains a 15 per cent interest, while local partner Octogone Trading holds the remaining 9 per cent.
Rex International Holding, listed on the Singapore Exchange Mainboard, is an oil exploration and production company with interests across Germany, Norway, Benin, and Oman.
The company applies its proprietary Rex Virtual Drilling technology, which uses seismic data analysis to identify sub-surface liquids and reduce exploration risk.
The group currently operates producing assets in Benin, Germany, and Oman.
The company’s latest progress in offshore Benin reflects its broader strategy to enhance production output and solidify its position as an emerging regional operator in West Africa’s energy sector.
