Originally posted at OilOnline.com on February 3, 2012.

Citing improved conditions at the fire-damaged K.S. Endeavor rig offshore Nigeria, Chevron has opted to drill a single relief well to plug the still-burning Funiwa Deep 1A gas well, the company said 2 February 2012.

Transocean’s GSF Baltic jackup rig, on loan from ExxonMobil, will drill the relief well, Chevron said.

In a statement to OilOnline.com, Chevron spokesman Sean Comey said dimishing intensity of the fire and a decreased flow of natural gas were factors in the decision to drill a single relief well.

Chevron Nigeria Ltd. ‘has assessed the conditions and drilling plans with a third party well control firm and has concluded that deploying a single rig to drill the relief well allows us to focus our efforts, providing the quickest and safest way to put out the fire and permanently seal the well in an effective and expedient manner,’ Comey said.

The company has not put a timeline on well control efforts.

‘We cannot predict how long it will take to put the fire out and permanently seal the well, but we will do so as quickly as possible while continuing to maintain safe operations,’ Comey said.

The company disputed reports of serious environmental damage related to the fire, including a local environmental group’s allegations that thousands of fish have washed ashore.

‘We continue to monitor the well and the surrounding area for impacts to the environment,’ Comey said. ‘Tests of the air and the water and constant monitoring of the beaches show there is no evidence of significant impact to the environment or the shoreline communities as a result of the incident.

‘We have encountered some dead fish, which may have swum into the hot water surrounding the fire. We have taken samples of the fish and are attempting to analyze the cause of death.’

The fire erupted on 16 January 2012 while the K.S. Endeavor jackup rig was drilling the Funiwa Deep 1A exploration well. The fire destroyed the rig and an associated barge, the Hercules Mako. Two contract workers were killed and another 152 workers evacuated.

The Funiwa Deep 1A well had been drilled to 12,945ft at the time of the fire. The well is six miles offshore in water depths of approximately 40ft..

The Funiwa field is located in Nigeria’s oil mining lease 86. Chevron operates the lease with 40% interest on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., which holds 60%.