Updated: 23 April 2004

Australian petroleum exploration and development activity report

1 April to 30 June 2003

Rig activity

The total number of active rigs during the June 2003 quarter was 34, which is a decrease on the number active in the June 2002 quarter (51). Rig activity during the quarter didn't vary much with 13, 11 and 10 rigs active respectively.

Offshore, the number of active rigs remained steady at 5, 6 and 6 respectively each month and inactive rigs between 0 and 5 during the quarter. Development drilling occurred in the Carnarvon, Bonaparte and Gippsland Basins. Exploration drilling was carried out in the Carnarvon, Browse and the Great Australian Bight Basins. The only active rigs drilling ahead at the end of the quarter were in the Carnarvon and Bonaparte Basins.

Onshore, the number of active rigs varied between 0 and 5, which is lower than in the same period last year (1-7). During the second quarter of 2003, development drilling occurred in the Cooper/Eromanga, Bowen/Surat and Surat Basins. Exploration drilling was carried out in the Maryborough, Cooper/Eromanga and Perth Basins. Two rigs were involved with drilling ahead in the Cooper/Eromanga Basin at the end of the quarter.

Success rates

The success rates shown in Table 7 are based on the number of petroleum discoveries and new-field wildcat wells drilled in Australia onshore and offshore from 1990 to 2002. No assumptions have been made about whether a 'discovery' has proved or will prove to be commercial. Geoscience Australia defines a discovery as a well from which a measurable amount of oil or gas has been recovered and also includes those discoveries inferred from well logs.

Table 7. Success rates, 1990-2002
Year	Success Rate
	Onshore	Offshore	Combined
1990	1:2.8	1:4.2	1:3.3
1991	1:2.4	1:8.0	1:3.1
1992	1:3.3	1:4.7	1:3.7
1993	1:2.6	1:3.3	1:2.8
1994	1:1.8	1:3.3	1:2.1
1995	1:2.5	1:3.8	1:2.8
1996	1:2.8	1:2.7	1:2.8
1997	1:1.9	1:4.6	1:2.3
1998	1:2.1	1:4.1	1:2.7
1999	1:2.5	1:3.5	1:3.0
2000	1:3.1	1:2.2	1:2.4
2001	1:1.8	1:3.6	1:2.4
2002	1:1.5	1:3.0	1:2.1

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Table 6. Drilling rig activity, April 2002 to June 2003
	Active					Idle					Availability
	Onshore			Offshore	Total	Onshore			Offshore	Total	Onshore		Offshore
	S	M	D	(all deep)		S	M	D	(all deep)		Total	& Active	Total	& Active
Apr	0	2	10	7	19	0	6	4	2	12	22	55	9	78
May	0	2	9	7	18	0	6	5	2	13	22	50	9	78
Jun	0	0	8	6	14	0	7	5	2	14	20	40	8	75
Jul	0	2	6	3	11	1	7	6	2	16	22	36	5	60
Aug	0	1	5	3	9	1	8	8	1	18	23	26	4	75
Sep	0	1	6	4	11	2	9	8	1	20	26	27	5	80
Oct	0	2	6	3	11	2	7	6	1	16	23	35	4	75
Nov	2	2	5	5	14	0	6	5	0	11	20	45	5	100
Dec	0	1	6	6	13	2	5	6	1	14	20	35	7	86
Jan-03	1	3	5	6	15	2	1	5	1	9	17	53	7	86
Feb	2	2	6	6	16	2	2	6	1	11	20	50	7	86
Mar	1	2	7	6	16	3	2	7	2	14	22	45	8	75
Apr	0	3	5	5	13	6	2	6	4	18	22	36	9	56
May	0	1	4	6	11	4	2	5	3	14	16	31	9	67
Jun	0	1	3	6	10	3	2	6	3	14	15	27	9	67
S = shallow (<1525 metres); M = medium (1525- 2750 metres); D = deep (>2750 metres).

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Graph showing drill rig activity, June 1998 - June 2003 GA2492

Figure 3. Drilling rig activity, June 1998-June 2003

This publication includes the following: preliminary statistics for wells and metres drilled, seismic survey line & square kilometres recorded and rig activity, to the end of June 2003. The data from which these statistics are derived have been compiled by Geoscience Australia from various sources, including the petroleum exploration industry and State and Northern Territory departments of mines.

Back to page 1 of the 2nd Quarter 2003 APEDA stats