- Details
- Category: GABON Pre-Salt
- Written by M. Prioste
12 Nov 2009 - by PreSalt.com - Source: CGGVeritas
Gabon will be having its 10th Licensing Round between June and December of 2010. This will be the first round to focus on some of the country's key deep water acreage.
CGGVeritas (Paris:GA - NYSE:CGV) is working directly with the Ministry to acquire over 9,600 km of seismic data for the Licence Round. The new surveys will help realize the potential of this exciting and under-explored area.
CGGVeritas is offering pre-commitment opportunities in all phases of this project.
General Information
- CGGVeritas has been appointed to advise the Direction Generale des Hydrocarbures on the promotion of the 10th licensing round.
- CGGVeritas will work with the DGH to create a phased work program to develop innovative exploration concepts.
- The Ultra Deep Water of Gabon has significant untapped potential in a structurally complex setting, particularly in the pre-salt section.
- In response to the particular exploration challenges each presents, two offshore regions have been defined – Zone Nord and Zone Sud.
- In Zone Nord, brokerage data is available for purchase plus a new targeted infill 2D grid of 2,700 km of data.
- In Zone Sud, CGGveritas is proposing an innovative and technically robust workflow. The work will be performed in three phases, as detailed below:
Phase 1: 2009 - Basin Modelling Using Existing Data
- CGGVeritas will perform interpretation of its recent test line and the existing 2D regional grid available over the open blocks, plus the 3D survey in the old Astrid Marin block.
- ARKeX will work as a sub-contractor to CGGVeritas to provide gravity and magnetic data modelling which will be integrated into a final report.
- The deep water basin will be 'high-graded' to identify areas where more detailed work will be undertaken.
- Priority will be given to identifying areas where there are thick pre-salt sedimentary depositional centres and adjacent structural highs which could contain potential traps.
Phase 2: 2009 - Acquisition of Gravity Gradiometry Data
- CGGVeritas, in partnership with ARKeX, plan to undertake Gravity Gradiometry surveys to obtain high-resolution gravity data.
- Gravity Gradiometry is an innovative gravity data acquisition technique that delivers extremely high-resolution geologic information.
- Acquisition of the Gravity Gradiometry data in this survey will help to constrain the extent of individual salt bodies and improve the geologic model derived from Phase 1.
- The Gravity Gradiometry data will be used to rank Zone Sud to identify areas where 2D and/or 3D seismic acquisition should be performed to further delineate prospective areas.
- CGGVeritas will re-perform the PSDM of the Gabon test line based on the new model.
Phase 3: 2009-10 - Acquisition of Additional Seismic Data
- Additional acquisition of both 2D and 3D data is planned in Zone Sud's Ultra Deep area.
- The proposed 2D acquisition will consist of up to 8,500 km of additional 2D data.
- The 2D data will be ultra long-offset acquisition using a deep tow configuration and high energy source for maximum penetration.
- One new 3D survey, up to 4,500 km2, is proposed.
- The 3D data will be acquired using an 8 km offset with high power source.
- 3D Processing will be targeted towards both pre-salt prospects and the post-salt Madiela prospects, as yet undrilled.
- 3D processing will be performed through to full prestack depth migration.
All CGGVeritas multi-client 3D and 2D seismic data worldwide are available for license on a non-exclusive basis.
