Dana Petroleum Plc (LON:DNX), the FTSE 250 oil and gas group, has revealed more details about its future drilling plans following news earlier this week that it had completed a successful appraisal in the Blackbird oil field in the UK Central North Sea. This well will be completed and flow tested shortly, and is the first of 10 exploration and appraisal wells Dana has scheduled for the second half of 2010.

In addition to Blackbird, the company has now spudded a well targeting the Nefertiti oil prospect offshore the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Nefertiti is in the South October concession and the reserves being targeted, based on 3D seismic mapping, are up to 40 million barrels of oil. Dana's stake there is 65%.

Elsewhere, two additional targets are currently being drilled. These are the Tolmount gas prospect in the UK Southern North Sea, where Dana has a 45% stake, and the Fin oil prospect in Egypt, which is 100% controlled by the company. Fin is nearby to Dana's recent oil discovery at Lorcan, which flowed at equipment restricted rates of up to 4,714 barrels of oil per day. Results from the Fin and Tolmount wells are expected during the next few weeks. In addition, Petro Canada Netherlands, which Dana is in the process of acquiring, is currently drilling the L06-08 exploration prospect offshore in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.

Looking ahead to further exploration drilling over the next three months, Dana reported that the West Phoenix rig has been released from its recent well offshore Norway and will shortly be mobilising for the Anne Marie well in the Faroe Islands. The well is expected to spud within the next two weeks. Dana holds a direct 25% interest in the Anne Marie prospect. In addition, Faroe Petroleum Plc (LON:FPM), in which Dana is the largest shareholder with a 27.5% stake, has a 12.5% interest in Anne Marie. The Anne Marie well follows on from Dana's and Faroe's recent successes in the UK West of Shetland area, including the two significant discoveries at Tornado and Glenlivet made in the second half of 2009. Anne Marie is one of the largest prospects being drilled by Dana this year with a mapped reserves range of up to 300 million barrels of oil.

Elsewhere, the Maersk Deliverer rig has departed from the…

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