GEOSCIENCES
Gene Kliewer • Houston
CGX contracts rock physics, seismic inversion for Guyana
CGX Resources Inc. has awarded Rock Solid Images a rock physics and seismic inversion project offshore Guyana.
“The conventional processing of our 3D program, the first shot offshore Guyana, is nearing completion. We are very encouraged by the time and depth images, and our initial interpretation,” says CGX’s Vice President of Exploration Warren Workman.
“To complement this analysis, CGX has engaged Rock Solid Images to determine the reservoir properties (lithology and porosity) and conditions (pore fluid) from the seismic data for our identified targets.”
Hyperdynamics schedules 2D seismic offshore Guinea
Hyperdynamics Corp. has contracted Bergen Oilfield Services AS to conduct a 9,000-km (5,592-mi) 2D marine seismic survey on portions of its oil and gas concession offshore Republic of Guinea.
“This survey will help us make a final determination of which portions of our 31,000-sq mi (80,290-sq km) concession area we want to maintain for future exploration,” says Ray Leonard, Hyperdynamics’ president and CEO.
“The raw field records or the Brute Stacks from the ‘new’ 2009 2D seismic survey will be delivered by BOS in almost real time as it is acquired,” says James Spear, Hyperdynamics’ VP of Exploration and Development. “The processing of this data will be done onboard one of BOS’ seismic vessels, as each line segment or sequence is acquired offshore Guinea. The BOS vessel is equipped with modern-day, state-of-the-art Sercel recording instrumentation along with Sentinel Solid streamers. The contractor’s vessel is prepared to continue on 3D acquisition on short notice.”
The cost of the project is estimated to be $10 million.
TGS-NOPEC awards North Sea aeromagnetic survey
Blom Geomatics has won a contract from TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co. ASA to acquire an aeromagnetic multi-client survey in the North Sea. The project is expected to be finalized in 4Q 2009.
The project will cover blocks in several quadrants on the Norwegian continental shelf, totaling an area of 4,400 sq km (1,699 sq mi).
Second Seychelles seismic survey starts
Black Marlin Energy Ltd. and Avana Petroleum have started a second seismic survey on their acreage in the Seychelles using Seabird Exploration’s vesselGeomariner.
The new 1,100-km (684-mi) 2D survey is designed to better image the potential reservoirs in the previously defined tilted fault blocks to delineate the leads mapped in the southern third of tranche A. It will complete the group’s seismic commitment under the first exploration period.
The original 3,650-km (2,268-mi) 2D survey, acquired in 2007 using an 8, 000-m (5-mi) cable, identified an extensive deep sedimentary section between and around the granitic islands. The granitic features are linked to those that underpin the Bombay High field and flank the prolific Cambay basin on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent.
The survey area includes some large structures in both shallow and deepwater, and is close to wells drilled by Amoco in 1980/81. The wells had significant oil shows which correlate well to the tar balls occasionally found on Seychelles beaches.
Further seismic, beyond the work program commitment, is planned for the remainder of tranche A, and tranches B and C in 2010.
Drilling is planned for the period early 2011 to 2012.
Reprocessing pays off for Nido
Reprocessing of 3D seismic has improved subsurface imaging to reduce risk for the Gindara prospect in SC 54B off Palawan says Nido Petroleum Ltd. As a result of the new seismic information, the prospect size has increased from 11 sq km (4.3 sq mi) to 28 sq km (10.8 sq mi).
Unrisked mean oil in place also increased, going from 470 MMbbl to 643 MMbbl.
The PSDM processing was done by CGGVeritas.
“Gindara has matured into an outstanding prospect and is now the highest ranked drilling candidate in Nido’s NW Palawan exploration portfolio in terms of its excellent risk profile and potential significance to the company,” says Jon Pattillo, Nido’s head of Exploration. “The prospect is comparable in scale to Shell’s Malampaya field, 30 km (19 mi) to the north, but located in only 320 m (1,050 ft) of water and close to the Joint Ventures recent discoveries at Tindalo and Yakal in adjacent SC 54 block A.”
Participating interests in SC 54B are Nido Petroleum Philippines Pty Ltd. (operator, 60%) and Kairiki Energy Ltd (40%).