In 1996, the Government of Barbados signed an offshore license and concession agreement with international oil company Conoco, granting it exclusive rights to explore the island’s frontier deep-water acreage in search of hydrocarbons. Conoco conducted extensive geological and geophysical surveys and analyses that led to the drilling of the island’s lone offshore well, Sandy Lane 1/1Z, in 2002.
Sandy Lane 1/1Z was drilled approximately 130 kilometers south of Barbados to a total depth of 15,074 ft. The well recorded gas shows, however, it was deemed a ‘dry hole’ after the post well prognosis showed that hydrocarbons had leaked from the structural trap after it had been breached. Conoco subsequently ceased operations and relinquished the offshore acreage in 2004. However, the extensive geological and geophysical data collected by Conoco helped to improve the understanding of the island’s offshore geology and petroleum prospectivity and led to the conceptualisation of the Barbados Offshore Petroleum Programme (BOPP).