CGG done with Gabon seismic shoot ahead of September offshore round

French marine seismic acquisition company CGG has completed its 9,800 km long-offset broadband 2D multi-client seismic survey in the Gabon South Basin.

“Fast-track data sets will be delivered in batches from the end of April, giving interested oil companies sufficient time to understand offshore petroleum systems and appraise blocks offered in Gabon’s 12th offshore licensing round planned for September 2019,” CGG said on Wednesday.

CGG has said its data set would help define the full extent of existing and new plays in the region, and would aid in understanding the thickness variations in the sediment overburden for source rock and maturity analysis.

“Broad bandwidth data will not only increase resolution and improve characterization of the turbidite systems that represent potential exploration targets, it also provides deep imaging penetration with low frequencies to help describe the nature of the crust,” CGG said.

Sophie Zurquiyah, CEO, CGG, said: “The vast offshore acreage of Gabon includes unexplored areas with good potential for a hydrocarbon system. However, there is often not enough high-quality geological and geophysical data to effectively reduce the exploration risks. This new 2D survey, which received significant industry pre-funding, puts the right data in the hands of our clients at the right time, enabling them to de-risk opportunities and select the appropriate blocks during the current licensing round.

The CEO said the latest survey also extended CGG’s data coverage from its recent 3D survey further inshore, “which led to two successful discovery wells.”

Zurquiyah was referring to the Boudji-1 and Ivela-1 discoveries made in 2018 by Petronas and Repsol, respectively.

The Boudji-1 well in the Likuale (F14) Block intersected a 90 meters gross oil and gas column, and the Ivela-1 well in the Luna Muetse (E13) Block intersected a 78 meter gross oil column.

Woodside, a partner in both blocks, said the discoveries were determined to be non-commercial due to development costs associated with the water depths being over 2,600 m, but nevertheless, the results proved a working hydrocarbon system with both oil and gas potential.

Offshore Energy Today Staff


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