Hurricane has completed testing operations on the Whirlwind exploration well (205/21a-5) offshore UK, West of Shetland. The well is being suspended for future operations.

Hurricane first drilled the Whirlwind discovery well in 2010 encountering a potentially extensive gross oil column present in 132 meters true vertical thickness (TVT) of fractured limestone and 138 meters TVT of underlying fractured basement.

The Whirlwind re-entry was originally planned for a summer campaign. However, delays in delivery of the WilPhoenix drilling unit resulted in operations not commencing until September 1, 2011. As a consequence of the delay, the work program was amended to take account of winter weather. The revised testing resulted in the recovery to surface of light volatile oil/ gas condensate. Drilling fluid losses and the recovery of hydrocarbons to surface indicate that the reservoir penetrated by the well is permeable and downhole pressure testing confirms the overpressured nature of the fractured reservoir.

Hurricane has 100% ownership of the Whirlwind discovery.

Dr. Robert Trice, Hurricane's CEO, commented, "I am particularly pleased with the Whirlwind operation. The discovery of light oil/condensate at Whirlwind is extremely good news as it is located in close proximity to our Lancaster basement discovery and further reinforces Hurricane's presence in the West of Shetland. However, the true significance of Whirlwind to the region will have to wait until further evaluation of the data is completed followed by targeted appraisal drilling."

Tags: Hurricane Exploration plc.