Nestoil Group has deployed its Pathfinder 500 drilling rig for the first time since acquiring it about eight years ago, completing workover operations on two producing wells at Oil Mining Lease 42 without recording any health, safety and environmental (HSE) incident.

The indigenous oil company said the operation also delivered additional crude oil production from the Niger Delta asset as it moves to restore output from mature wells and prepare for a broader in-field drilling campaign.

The workover programme was executed by Scorpio Drilling International, a strategic business unit of Nestoil Group, using the Pathfinder 500 rig.

In a statement issued by its Corporate Communications Department on Sunday, the company said the rig was successfully mobilised to OML 42, completed work on the two wells and was subsequently returned safely to its base.

The Pathfinder 500 is one of two drilling rigs acquired by Nestoil Group at a combined cost of approximately $28 million. The second unit is the Scorpio 300.

Nestoil said the successful intervention on the two producing wells contributed to incremental oil production from the asset and demonstrated the company’s ability to deploy indigenous drilling infrastructure for field operations.

Chairman of Nestoil/Neconde Group, Ernest Obiejesi, described the deployment as a significant milestone and a demonstration of the expanding capacity of Nigerian indigenous oil companies.

Obiejesi explained that the decision to acquire the rigs was motivated by the need to establish reliable local drilling capacity and reduce the company’s dependence on externally hired rigs.

According to him, securing hired drilling equipment can be costly and challenging in Nigeria’s operating environment, making ownership of drilling infrastructure strategically important for an asset operator.

He said Nestoil’s ownership interest in OML 42 made it necessary to have access to its own drilling equipment to carry out workovers, restore production from ageing wells and eventually undertake new drilling activities as the field matures.

Obiejesi said the successful workover campaign had strengthened the company’s confidence to proceed with its planned in-field drilling programme.

He noted that the Pathfinder 500 had remained unused for several years after its acquisition, but the company maintained its commitment to the investment despite doubts over whether the rig would eventually be deployed.

“This is a defining moment for us because this rig has been sitting there for eight years,” Obiejesi said.

He added that the successful mobilisation of the rig, completion of the two-well workover without an HSE incident and its safe return to base represented a significant achievement for the group.

The company said the development forms part of its broader efforts to increase oil production from OML 42 and strengthen indigenous participation in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum operations.