GEOSCIENCES
Gene Kliewer • Houston
Details of Reinga basin, New Zealand, block offer
Last month this column carried a notice regarding an offer of six blocks offshore New Zealand in the Reinga basin covering 105,230 sq km (40,630 sq mi) northwest of Northland blocks on offer earlier.
According to a report prepared for the government, the Reinga basin contains up to 7 km (4.3 mi) of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks and appears to have all elements of an active petroleum system. The report continues to say this is one of the most prospective frontier basins in the New Zealand region with large areas of the sedimentary succession lying within the oil generation window. This sequence is similar to the oil and gas producing Taranaki basin.
Satellite spotted surface oil slicks are found in the northeast and southwest sectors of the Reinga basin and there is correlation with Neogene deformation and faulting where fluid expulsion, leakage zones, and potential hydrocarbon expulsion pathways and complexes are indicated on the seismic data. Many structural and stratigraphic leads are identified. They include rifted basins, horst blocks, reef carbonates, deep water channels, and submarine fans.
Survey plans
North Sea: Providence Resources Plc has agreed with PGS Ventures A/S, a division of Petroleum Geo-Services, to design and acquire an offshore seismic survey across Providence’s Celtic Sea basin holdings. Providence also will get access to PGS’s multi-client seismic database covering the same area plus offshore UK.
Tunisia: AuDAX Resources Ltd. has contracted PGS to acquire 670 sq km (259 sq mi) of 3D seismic data using Geostreamer technology in the Kerkouane permit offshore Tunisia. Work expected to start in mid-March. Previous exploration in the Pantelleria and Kerkouane permits shows several prospects and leads, says AuDAX, the most prospective being the Sambuca prospect extending east into the adjacent Pantelleria permit across the Italian-Tunisian maritime border. This structure appears to be one of the largest undrilled structures in the Mediterranean Sea.
Ghana: Kosmos Energy picks OHM Rock Solid Images to do a seismic reservoir study at West Cape Three Points offshore Ghana. The 3D survey aims to examine 500 sq km (193 sq mi). The results will be calibrated against the Odum-1 and Odum-2 discoveries 18 km (11 mi) east of Kosmos’ Mahogany-1 wildcat.
“The West African Transform Margin play is in its infancy; relatively few wells have been drilled and there is still much to be learned about developing the most effective strategy for exploitation and production,” says Kenny Goh, Kosmos senior VP. “When confronted with a slope channel complex such as that encountered in the Campanian-aged Odum discovery, an advanced reservoir characterization study based on seismic and well data is an effective tool for reservoir delineation and appraisal. The experience Rock Solid Images has gained in the region over the past two years, including the work completed on the Jubilee field, will play a key role in the successful outcome of this project.”
Philippines: A new 3D seismic data acquisition program is under way offshore Philippines in Service Contract 55 by Otto Energy Ltd. The Ramform Explorer of Petroleum Geo-Services Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. is at work on the 1,800- sq km (695-sq mi) program that is expected to be completed no later than May.
Gulf of Mexico:Pemex has awarded a multi-year contract to GX Technology, the seismic imaging subsidiary of ION Geophysical Corp., to deliver a range of data processing and imaging services over the next three years. GXT has set up an office in Villahermosa, Mexico, near Pemex exploration headquarters. GXT says it will process and interpret seismic data from deepwater GoM regions including subsalt targets. GXT will employ velocity model building and pre-stack depth migration with both beam migration and reverse time migration.
Sarawak: Petronas has awarded a production sharing contract for block SK320 offshore Sarawak to MDC Oil and Gas (SK320) Ltd. which includes a commitment for acquisition and processing of 2,000 km (1,245 mi) of 2D seismic, 1,000 sq km (386 sq mi) of 3D seismic and four wildcat wells all for approximately $79.75 million. PSC SK320 covers 5,786 sq km (2,234 sq mi) in central Sarawak basin in water depths of 100-200 m (328-656 ft).