30 Offshore February 2015 • www.offshore-mag.com
G E O S C I E N C E S Gene Kliewer • Houston
NPD sheds new light
on Barents Sea geology
Investigations conducted by the Nor wegian
Petroleum Directorate (NPD) have thrown
new light on the geology of Svalbard and the
northern Barents Sea. The studies contradict
the hypothesis that sand and shale deposited
around the Arctic archipelago derive from an
early “microcontinent” called Crockerland.
“Nothing suggests that such a land mass
ever existed,” said Bjørn Anders Lundschien,
project coordinator.
Initial drillling off Kong Karls Land in 2015
indicates the sand around the islands originated to the southeast from highlands and
mountains in Russia’s Ural. Subsequent expeditions in and around Svalbard resulted in
NPD Bulletin No. 11, which was issued at the
start of this year.
The report says Triassic oil-prone source
rocks were first deposited in the southernmost Barents Shelf and have sourced several
hydrocarbon traps, such as the Kobbe formation reservoirs of the Goliat field. In the Svalis
Dome area these source rocks (the Steinkobbe formation) were established at least as
early as in latest Olenekian (late Spathian)
and span the entire Anisian. In the northern Barents Sea and on central and eastern
Svalbard the correlative organic rich shales
of the Botneheia formation were deposited
throughout the Anisian and Ladinian.
Triassic reservoir rocks were also first
established in the southernmost Barents
Shelf, in the Anisian, when the coastal sandstones of the regressive Kobbe formation
were deposited. The regressive trend continued during the deposition of the Snadd
formation from the Ladinian time close to
the Norwegian mainland and in the Svalis
Dome and Sentralbanken High areas. The
prograding deltaic sediments of the Snadd
formation first reached the northernmost
Barents Sea (off Kong Karls Land) and Svalbard in the Carnian. These regressive sandstones represent the main reservoir potential in large areas of the Barents Sea as seen
by seismic interpretation.
This evolution is favorable for Triassic play
models with Lower and Middle Triassic source
rocks of the Steinkobbe and Botneheia formations overlain by paralic sandstones of the Kobbe, Snadd, and De Geerdalen formations.
2D seismic survey set
offshore Namibia
in Walvis basin
Nabirm Energy Services is set to undertake a 2D seismic survey in license block
2113A in the Walvis basin offshore Namibia.
The proposed area of the 2D seismic sur-
vey will be approximately 1,050 km (652 mi)
long, consisting of low-density spaced survey
lines spanning approximately 2,500 sq km
(965 sq mi). Water in the proposed survey
area ranges between 50 and 150 m (164 and
492 ft) in depth, and the distance from shore
ranges between 10 and 50 km ( 6 and 31 mi).
CCA Environmental (pty) Ltd. will examine the baseline environmental conditions
of the survey area to evaluate any potential
impacts of the proposed seismic survey and
to present the findings in an environmental
impact assessment and to ensure no negative impacts.
Geosciences business report
At its Capital Markets Day held in Oslo,
Nor way, TGS said that it expects multi-client
investments of $420 million plus an addition-
al capex of $15 million this year. The target
revenues for 2015 total $750 million.
The 4Q 2014 results are expected to reach
a record-high for the company of $298 mil-
lion, or 10% more than 4Q 2013. The full-year
revenues are expected to be $915 million.
CGG has reported a record in multi-client
sales for a single quarter during 4Q 2014.
The company also has said that its vessel
production rate tallied 92% for the quarter.
It not only received client commitment for
the StagSeis Gulf of Mexico program, but
also sustained multi-client sales in the North
Sea, West Africa, and Latin America over the
time frame.
Jean-Georges Malcor, CEO of CGG, said
the performance was positive news in light
of the drop in oil prices. •
Polarcus has started acquiring multi-client 3D seismic data offshore Western Australia in the
Phoenix area in a venture with Carnarvon Petroleum Ltd. The survey uses two high-performance
12-streamer Polarcus vessels, Polarcus Amani and Polarcus Asima, operating in tandem to maximize production. The program, called Capreolus MC3D, is in exploration permit areas WA-435-P,
WA-436-P, WA-437-P, and WA-438-P. This joint venture expects to license 5,100 sq km ( 1,969 sq
mi) of Capreolus 3D in the area shown on this map. The first 3D seismic acquisition in this area
(the Phoenix MC3D) covered 1,100 sq km (425 sq mi) and was acquired in late 2010/early 2011. In
late 2011/early 2012, a second 3D seismic acquisition program (the Zeester MC3D) acquired an
additional 3,854 sq km ( 1,488 sq mi). The current joint venture partners have recently agreed to
license this data following the success of the Phoenix South- 1 well. A new 2D seismic acquisition
program (the Bilby MC2D) will acquire modern 2D seismic data over most of the remaining acreage. The data acquisition phase is estimated to last four months, with the data being processed
through a pre-stack depth migration routine by DownUnder GeoSolutions in Perth. Final data
products are expected to be available in 2Q 2016.
