A second test of the interval completed on Sunday recovered minor quantities of oil and gas at non-commercial flows, due to low permeability in the Basement fracture system at the well's location, the company said.

But Oil Search said the small oil recovery confirmed the Basement fractures contained movable oil in this area of the structural complex.

The operator, DNO ASA, now intends to plug back and sidetrack into the upper weathered Basement section, known to be productive in the Nabrajah-5 well.

The side-tracked hole is expected to penetrate the Basement about 200-400 metres away from the current tested location.

Nabrajah-9 is the second well in the first phase of the Nabrajah Basement appraisal/development program. Located 2.7 kilometres northwest of Nabrajah-5, it is being drilled as a deviated well.

The well is intended to appraise the Basement oil accumulation discovered by Nabrajah-5 and to provide oil production from the fractured Basement reservoir.

The participants in the Nabrajah-9 well are: DNO ASA 56.67% (operator), Oil Search (Yemen) Limited 28.33% and The Yemen Company 15%, carried.