The well, which is drilling using the Cajun Express, is located in 1,500m of water around 120km offshore Morocco in the Foum Draa block, while Cairn is the operator of the well with 50% working interest.
The drilling operations are expected to take around 60 days, which has a planned total depth of about 5,500m True Vertical Depth Sub Sea (TVDSS).
Cairn, with its wholly owned subsidiary Capricorn Exploration and Development, has partnered in the project with ONHYM, San Leon Energy, Serica Energy and Longreach Oil and Gas.
Cairn has signed a farm-in agreement with Kosmos Energy and Moroccan National Oil (ONHYM) for a 20% non-operated interest in an exploration block offshore North West Africa.
Cairn Energy chief executive Simon Thomson said the farm-in builds on existing Atlantic Margin portfolio, where the company has a strategic presence across three countries in Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania.
"The new acreage offers transformational exploration potential in a frontier region where Cairn is already well established," Thomson added.
