Max Petroleum (LON:MXP) announced that on 2 April 2010 it commenced drilling the KZN-2 exploration well on the North Kyzylzhar II West Block prospect in Block E, Kazakhstan, the third of twelve post-salt exploration prospects scheduled to be drilled by the Company on Blocks A&E.

Regal Petroleum (LON:RPT) announced an update on its operations in Ukraine and Romania. In Ukraine, the rate of production from SV-58 has increased by 100% since the level announced on 11 January 2010 as a result of a number of additional well interventions. The abrasive jet perforation technique, which was trialled in SV-58 in January has now been successfully completed across all of the remaining B-sand target zones. The jet perforations were subsequently stimulated using other advanced perforating techniques which established a near-wellbore fracture network to further enhance gas deliverability from the reservoirs. Well SV-61 has been successfully completed and Rig 5914 was released on 29 March 2010. The well will be tied-in for testing and production o nce the rig has been removed from the location. Testing is expected to commence in late April/early May 2010. The SV-69 well has successfully penetrated the B-sand reservoir sequence and the 7" liner was set as planned. Drilling, utilising Rig 5915, is continuing and as at 1 April 2010 was at a depth of 5,789 metres.
In Romania Regal has completed the acquisition and processing of 104.7 km of 2D seismic in the Barlad exploration concession (Regal 100%) in eastern Romania. The data is of good quality and has allowed a drilling location to be identified to the west of the RBN-4 gas discovery made in December 2007. The remaining work programme commitment on the Barlad concession is one exploration well, which is currently planned for Q3 2010.

Hardy Oil & Gas (LON:HDY) announced the commencement of drilling of an exploration well on the Company's KG-DWN-2003/1 (D3) exploration license. This well, which is the fifth exploration well on D3, was spud on 2nd April 2010 using the Transocean rig the Deepwater Expedition in a water depth of 1,653m. The target depth of the well, which aims to explore the hydrocarbon potential of Mio-Pliocene sands, is 3,514m.

Europa Oil & Gas (LON:EOG) announced that the Hykeham-1 well in the UK has been re-perforated and a pump installed to lift the well. To date, the well has…

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