United Oil & Gas (UOG) has signed a contract with TDI-Brooks International for an initial exploration program over the Walton Morant license offshore southern Jamaica.
This follows the partners' memorandum of understanding that was announced last month.
TDI-Brooks’ R/V Gyre vessel should arrive in mid-late December for the piston coring and surface geochemical program.
This will involve collecting 40 to 60 seabed cores from the Walton and Morant basins, along with bathymetric, multibeam and heat-flow surveys.
The program is designed to confirm the presence of thermogenic hydrocarbons, and to enhance basin modeling and definition of prospects including Colibri and Oriole.
Collected data will undergo analysis for geochemical and thermal signatures, with UOG aiming to prove the presence of a working petroleum system offshore Jamaica.
Operations could last for up to three weeks. The company expects to receive the initial results early next year; the technical de-risking exercise will support ongoing farm-out discussions for the license.
Despite the damage from the recent infrastructure, port infrastructure remains operational, UOG added. The company is coordinating inspection and readiness procedures with the Jamaican authorities.
