Cairn Energy, operator of the Senegal Joint Venture with 40% interest, has begun a new 3D seismic survey over its Sangomar Deep, Sangomar and Rufisque permits, offshore Senegal.
Other Senegal Joint Venture partners are FAR Limited with 15% stake, ConocoPhillips with 35% and Petrosen with 10% stake.
According to FAR’s press release issued Thursday, the Polarcus Adira 3D seismic vessel will acquire data in the north and east parts of the permits along trend from existing mapped prospects where there is currently no 3D seismic data coverage. The survey will also assist with the delineation of the existing SNE discovery, FAR said. Data acquisition is expected to be completed in Q4 2015 and final processed products are to be delivered in mid-2016.
FAR noted that the seismic survey is an integral part of the joint venture’s evaluation program of the Sangomar Deep, Sangomar and Rufisque permits.
This evaluation program includes a firm three wells expected to start in early Q4 2015. Two appraisal wells will be drilled on the SNE discovery located In the Shelf Edge Play and the Bellatrix prospect will be evaluated with an exploration well. Bellatrix will be the first well to be drilled in the Buried Hills play that FAR says it considers is highly prospective and the first exploration well to be drilled since the successful SNE-1 and FAN-1 discovery wells.
FAR also said that the FAN-1 and SNE-1 oil discoveries encourage it that further exploration drilling offshore Senegal may yield more success. FAR currently estimates 1.5 billion barrels of gross prospective resources (225 mmbbls net) lie within prospects mapped using existing 3D seismic data.
The company concluded by saying it expects the new 3D seismic will add to this inventory of exploration prospects on the shelf where FAR sees extensions of both the Shelf Edge and Buried Hills plays.