Total has reported a gas find in Block B offshore Brunei, in a water depth of 62m, around 50km from the coast. Total operates the block with a 37.5% interest, in association with Shell Deepwater Borneo (35%) and local partners (27.5%). The France-based company said that while drilling to a final depth of 5227m, the ML-4 well discovered a new gas-bearing compartment in the Maharaja Lela/Jamalulalam Field. A gas column of over 400m was encountered in reservoirs equivalent to those already in production in the field. Gas was also found in deeper formations. Following the successful MLJ2-06T well, the ML-4 well completes the first phase of an exploration drilling programme that will resume in 2009.