Offshore staff
DUBLIN, Ireland – Providence Resources has issued a technical update on the deepwater Drombeg prospect offshore western Ireland.
Drombeg is in licensing option 11/9, in about 2,500 m (8,202 ft) of water in the southern Porcupine basin. The location is 220 km (137 mi) from West Cork, and roughly 60 km (37 mi) from theDunquin exploration prospect, which ExxonMobil is due to start drilling next spring.
Mapping of the Lower Cretaceous Drombeg stratigraphic structure reveals a significant seismic amplitude anomaly, low seismic impedance, and a pronounced amplitude versus offset response, says Providence.
Providence recently contracted Ikon Science for a rock physics modeling and 2D seismic inversion study using various 2D seismic lines and regional well data. Results suggest the mapped seismic anomaly is consistent with a modeled hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone interval with a seismically derived thickness of 200-300 ft (61-91 m).
The anomaly extends more than 240 sq km (92 sq mi) and is interpreted to be the deepwater equivalent of Lower Cretaceous Apto-Albian age shallow-water marine sandstones that BP encountered in its 43/13-1 well, drilled 80 km (49.7 mi) from Drombeg.
An underlying second seismic anomaly also has been identified and appears to be consistent with hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone with a seismically derived thickness of 140-200 ft (42-61 m). Both anomalies appear to have a potential common downdip depth termination.
A large Jurassic tilted fault block closure covering 150 sq km (58 sq mi) has been mapped beneath the prospect, and a fluid escape feature has been identified at its crest. This “chimney” appears to terminate at the downdip edge of the Drombeg seismic anomaly, providing potential evidence of hydrocarbon sourcing and migration into the prospect.
John O’Sullivan, Providence’s technical director, said: “The evidence of potentially active hydrocarbon migration in this frontier basin has wider implications for our other projects in the southern Porcupine basin, most notably Dunquin… Given Drombeg’s location and water depth, it is likely that we will seek a capable joint venture partner with deepwater operating experience, though that view may change with positive results from the upcoming Dunquin well.”
8/08/2012
