Port Moresby-based Oil Search and its partners have decided to plug and abandon the Salma-1 sidetrack in Egypt after being forced to cut the drill string after piping again became stuck.
Oil Search said it was unable to recover the lower part of the string from the well and the well partners had decided to abandon the well rather than try to sidetrack the bore once more.
The well had reached a depth of 2957 metres.
The company said the well might be respudded at a later date. The rig has now moved to drill the Shahd South East prospect.
The Salma-1 well was operated by Sipetrol International with a 50.5% stake, while Oil Search held the remaining 49.5% stake.
Oil Search said it was also attempting to free stuck drillpipe in its North-West Paua-1 well in Papua New Guinea, which had reached a depth of 3011 metres.
The well is targeting the Toro and Digimu formations with a planned total depth of 3400 metres. The well showed oil in the Toro sandstone and recovered oil in the Iagifu sandstone.
NW Paua-1 well lies five miles (eight kilometres) north-east of the Moran oilfield on the PDL 5 licence.
Oil Search operates the well with a 52.5% stake with ExxonMobil holding the remaining 47.5% stake.
Oil Search also said it had respudded its Cobra-1 well on Tuesday and had drilled to 65 metres in the original hole. Drilling on the original spud had to be halted at a depth of 167 metres and the rig moved to allow subsistence at the well site to be addressed.
The well is being drilled on the PPL 190 licence targeting the Iagifu sandstone with a total planned depth of 3100 metres.
Oil Search operates the well with a 62.556% stake, with partners Murray Petroleum (26.497%) and Cue PNG Oil Company (10.947%).

(Upstream Online)