OMV New Zealand Media statement 1 February, 2013
OMV New Zealand confirms jack-up rig ENSCO 107 to drill at Maari
On behalf of its Maari Joint Venture partners, OMV New Zealand announces that the jack-up rig ENSCO 107 has been
contracted to complete the planned multi-well campaign at the Maari Field and is expected to arrive on site during the
4th quarter of 2013.
The campaign will begin during the 2013-2014 New Zealand summer season with the exact drilling start date depending on
when the rig is available following its prior assignment. The Maari programme is expected to last nine months with the
option to extend.
“We are committed to further developing the Maari Field and securing the ENSCO 107 in such a tight rig market is a
positive step towards that,” said OMV New Zealand Managing Director, Peter Zeilinger. “This multi-well programme at
Maari will run in parallel to the floating drilling programme using the semi-submersible rig Kan Tan IV, we announced
late last year. That programme now includes the Matuku exploration well as well as a Manaia appraisal well and an
exploration well in the Whio prospect in the neighbouring permit, PEP 51313. Together, these separate campaigns form the
cornerstone of our investment programme to further develop existing reserves and find and tap new reservoirs in the
wider Taranaki Basin,” Mr Zeilinger said.
The ENSCO 107 is returning to familiar waters at the Maari field. It drilled the field’s original production and water
injection wells as well as the Manaia-1 well which, at eight kilometres long, still holds the record for the longest
well ever drilled in New Zealand.
OMV New Zealand Ltd holds 69% interest in the Maari permit and operates it on behalf of joint venture partners Todd
Maari Ltd. (16%), Horizon Oil International Ltd. (10%) and Cue Taranaki Pty Ltd. (5%).
About OMV in New Zealand
OMV New Zealand is the country’s largest liquid hydrocarbon producer, the third largest gas producer, and a major
explorer in offshore Taranaki and the Great South Basin off the coast of the South Island.
It has been active here since 1999 when it acquired shares in the Maari oil discovery which it developed and now
operates. Focusing strictly on exploration and production in New Zealand, OMV New Zealand currently holds shares in the
Maui and Pohokura gas fields and the Maui pipeline. In addition, OMV New Zealand also has a number of offshore
exploration permits in the Taranaki and Great South Basin regions.
OMV has invested over NZ$1.6 billion in New Zealand to date. In 2011, it paid over $221 million to the Crown in taxes
and royalties.
OMV New Zealand is a subsidiary of OMV Aktiengesellschaft, also known as the OMV Group.
OMV Aktiengesellschaft
With Group sales of EUR 34.05 bn and a workforce of 29,800 employees in 2011, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria’s
largest listed industrial companies. In Exploration and Production, OMV is active in two core countries Romania and
Austria and holds a balanced international portfolio. OMV had proven oil and gas reserves of approximately 1.13 bn boe
as of year-end 2011 and a production of around 288,000 boe/d in 2011. In Gas and Power, OMV sold approximately 272 TWh
of gas in 2011. In Austria, OMV operates a 2,000 km long gas pipeline network with a marketed capacity of around 101 bcm
in 2011. With a trading volume of around 47 bcm/a, OMV’s gas trading platform, the Central European Gas Hub, is amongst
the most important hubs in Continental Europe. In Refining and Marketing, OMV has an annual refining capacity of 22.3 mn
t and as of the end of 2011 approximately 4,500 filling stations in 13 countries including Turkey. OMV further
strengthened its position through the ownership of a 97% stake in Petrol Ofisi, Turkey’s leading company in the retail
and commercial business.
ENDS