Blocks113/29c & 113/30 Merrow
(Licence P1573)

Awarded as a Traditional Licence in the 24th Seaward Licensing Round in 2007, the Blocks are located in the East Irish Sea Basin adjacent to Walney Island on the Cumbrian coast. There are numerous oil and gas shows in the offshore wells and hydrocarbon migration through these prospective Blocks is proven by heavy oil columns and hydrocarbon shows in the onshore wells to the east.

Integration and interpretation of over 700 kilometres of reprocessed onshore, transition zone and offshore seismic combined with gravity, magnetics and outcrop data has confirmed the existence of the large Merrow prospect at the Permian Collyhurst Sandstone and a significant lead, named Sea Serpent, at the Triassic Ormsksirk Sandstone. The Collyhurst Sandstone has tested gas elsewhere in the basin and is under production at the onshore Elswick Field. Merrow appears to be analogous to the basin margin Lennox oil and gas field, to the south. The joint venture has identified an onshore location from which to drill a directional well offshore to test the Merrow prospect in 2011.