Uruguay staging consultations on offshore 3D seismic acquisition

Challenger Energy hopes to start acquiring 3D seismic over the offshore Uruguay AREA OFF-1 license during the fall.

Various other operators of nearby exploration licenses are also looking to acquire 3D data in late 2025 or early 2026, the company added in an update. Chevron operates AREA OFF-1 with a 60% interest (Challenger 40%).

Currently Uruguay’s Ministry of Environment is holding public consultations ahead of issuing environmental permits, with separate consultations also taking place for seismic vendors wishing to obtain a permit. TGS’ consultation occurred in February and Viridien’s in May, with an additional, final consultation scheduled for all remaining permit applicants later this month.

Granting of permits should follow during August/September.

In AREA OFF-3, where Challenger is seeking to farm down some of its 100% interest, the company is working on mapping and interpretation of existing seismic data to develop a series of leads, which will be high-graded following DHI/AVO analysis.

Findings to date have identified various new amplitude-supported prospects in relatively shallow waters. One of these, named "Benteveo," extends beyond the 3D seismic dataset.

Challenger has opted to license additional data to assess the full extent of the structure. It then expects to be in a position to open a virtual data room for the planned AREA OFF-3 farm-out process in September.