NORTH AMERICA
TGS and PGS have released final data from 3D surveys offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, ahead of the Canada Newfoundland Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board’s licensing round later this year. The Tablelands and North Tablelands data-sets cover 12,500 sq km (4,826 sq mi) in the eastern Orphan basin off Newfoundland, and identify potentially promising reservoirs from Lower Cretaceous to Lower Tertiary intervals.
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Husky Energy has suspended major construction work on its West White Rose platform offshore Newfoundland to protect site staff and contractors against the spread of COVID-19. However, production continues from the SeaRose FPSO, the White Rose field and its satellite extensions 350 km (217 mi) offshore.
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McDermott International is managing pre-front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) on behalf of BHP for a floating production unit for the deepwater Trion oilfield. The platform will be moored in 2,500 m (8,200 ft) of water, 180 km (112 mi) from the Mexican coast and 30 km (19 mi) south of the US/Mexico offshore median line. Houston Engineering and Wood are supporting McDermott respectively on the hull and topsides studies.
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Bahamas Petroleum Co. plans to re-schedule Perseverance #1, its first exploration well offshore the Bahamas, to mid-October or later. Recent shutdown measures imposed by the government have impacted movements of drilling rigs and associated preparations, the company said, with the three-month hurricane season ruling out drilling from mid-July.
SOUTH AMERICA
Petrobras has two further deepwater oil discoveries off southeast Brazil. The well on the Araucária prospect, 200 km (124 mi) from the city of Santos and in 1,995 m (6,545 ft) water depth, was the first on the Uirapuru block in the presalt Santos basin. It encountered oil in porous reservoirs. ExxonMobil, Equinor, and Galp are the other partners. The Natator oil discovery was on the Sudoeste de Tartaruga Verde block in the Campos basin, 130 km (81 m) offshore Macaé in 1,080 m (3,543 ft) of water. The well proved oil in post-salt carbonate reservoirs.
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Apache Corp. and Total have made what appears to be a second large oil discovery on block 58 offshore Suriname. The Sapakara West-1 well, drilled by the Noble Sam Croft, south of the earlier Maka Central-1 find, tested oil and gas condensate in multiple stacked targets in Upper Cretaceous Campanian and Santonian intervals. On completion of the well, the drillship was due to head 10 km (6 mi) to the northwest to drill the Kwaskwasi prospect.
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Brazil’s licensing agency ANP has temporarily suspended this year’s planned 17th oil and gas licensing round, due to worsening economic conditions and the growing impact of the coronavirus. It was reportedly set to offer 130 blocks across five basins.
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Searcher Seismic has reprocessed a further 8,008 km (4,976 mi) of 2D seismic over Argentina’s offshore Austral and Malvinas basins. The Argentina Super-Tie 2D reprocessing project now comprises over 19,000 km (11,806 mi) of broadband data to support the country’s future bid rounds and assessments of other commercial opportunities. Searcher said work to date had improved imaging of deeper stratigraphy and basement potential.
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Premier Oil and its partners remain committed to the Sea Lion oilfield development in the offshore North Falkland basin. However, the final investment decision will probably be delayed until the external macro-environment improves, according to Rockhopper Exploration. The partners now plan to target 250 MMbbl from the first phase via 29 wells, 12 to be drilled prior to first oil, with production building to a plateau of around 85,000 b/d via a conventional FPSO.
WEST AFRICA
BP and partner Kosmos Energy may delay start-up of the ultra-deepwater Greater Tortue Ahemyim gas-condensate project off Mauritania and Senegal until 2023, due to recent global developments. Travel bans, social distancing, and office closures have impacted the project’s progress, Kosmos said, including construction of the breakwater for the LNG jetty during the 2020 weather window. BP has also notified Golar LNG that it will not now be ready to receive the converted FLNG vessel Gimi on the planned connection date in 2022.
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The BGP Prospector has started acquiring the 4,770-sq km (1,842-sq mi) Gambito 2020 3D seismic survey in the MSGBC basin offshore The Gambia. TGS, which is coordinating the campaign with BGP and the government, says the deep/ultra-deepwater areas covered appear strongly prospective, based on large basin floor fans identified on previous 2D surveys.
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Aker Energy has cancelled a letter of intent that it issued in February to Malaysian shipyard Yinson to charter and operate and FPSO for the Pecan field development offshore Ghana. The company has suspended work on the project in the Deepwater Tano Cape Three Points until further notice.
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São Tomé and Principe and Equatorial Guinea have agreed to create a Special Zone for Joint Exploration of hydrocarbons in blocks bordering each country’s maritime zone. They hope to initiate offshore operations in October.
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PGS has completed acquisition of its 3D Kwanza Shelf survey offshore Angola, with total GeoStreamer broadband overage over blocks 6, 7 and 8 and surrounding areas of the shelf now at 8,300 sq km (3,205 sq mi). The company will make the data available for Angola’s planned 2021 licensing round. The shallow-water Kwanza Shelf is said to present imaging challenges, which the survey is part-designed to address.
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
The Lebanese Petroleum Administration has extended the closing date for applications for the country’s second offshore exploration licensing round to June 1, 2020. The Ministry of Energy and Water accepted that bid preparations may have been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.
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The hull of the FPSO Energean Power reached the Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard in Singapore last month following a short voyage from the Cosco yard in China. Preparations for the topsides integration, however, were put on hold due to a (temporary) COVID-19 related suspension of activities. Energean is confident the floater will be ready in time to receive first gas from the Karish field offshore Israel in the first half of next year. Later in 2020, the company expects to take an investment decision on tying in the Karish North discovery to the FPSO.
MIDDLE EAST
ADNOC has terminated two contracts awarded in February to the Petrofac Emirates joint venture for the Dalma gas development in the Ghasha ultra-sour offshore concession, 140 km (87 mi) northwest of Abu Dhabi. Petrofac said it would work with the NOC over the coming weeks on alternative options better suited to the present challenging environment. One of the assignments, a collaboration with SapuraKencana, involved construction and installation of three new platforms, replacement of an existing topsides, and installation of associated subsea infrastructure.
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Development drilling has started on Qatar Petroleum’s offshore North Field East project. Eight jackups will drill a total of 80 wells in the first phase, with the increased gas production raising Qatar’s LNG capacity from 77MMt/yr to 110 MMt/yr. The first of four new offshore jackets for the project was due to be installed late last month.
ASIA/PACIFIC
ONGC has produced first gas from the 98/2 block subsea development in the Krishna Godavari basin offshore eastern India. McDermott International is the project engineering contractor, responsible for supply and installation of the subsea production systems, including 26 deepwater trees, and the SURF system in water depths extending out to 1,300 m (4,265 ft).
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CNOOC has discovered oil in an emerging play, the Laibei lower uplift, in the southern Bohai basin offshore China. Well KL6-1-3 was drilled on the Kenli 6-1 structure in 19.2 m (63 ft) water depth in Bohai Bay, intersecting 20 m (65.6 ft) of oil pay zones and flowing 1,178 b/d during testing.
AUSTRALASIA
Searcher Seismic has entered a marketing and sales agreement with Timor-Leste’s Petroleum Authority ANPM for its Offshore Timor-Leste data and study package. Searcher, in co-operation with Discover Geoscience, has complied the seismic and well data to support companies assessing the 19 offshore blocks available under the country’s current second petroleum licensing round. The package reviews all play types, including little-explored Triassic plays. •
