Heading offshore: Gabon
CGGVeritas on course for Gabon shoots
French seismic player CGGVeritas is set to shoot two 2D surveys off Gabon ahead of the West African country's 10th licensing round.
The round is scheduled to take place between June and December 2010 and will focus on the highly prospective deep-water pre-salt play.
The two surveys will be located in the north and south of Gabon’s undere-xplored deep-water blocks.
In the north - Zone Nord - CGGVeritas will shoot a 2200 kilometre grid specifically designed to highlight Tertiary and Cretaceous plays.
In the south - Zone Sud - a 7400 kilometre very long offset survey is planned to provide the best possible imaging beneath the Aptian salt to help identify potential traps.
The Zone Sud survey is part of a three-phase programme designed by CGGVeritas.
First, basin-wide depth modelling will be undertaken using existing data and a CGGVeritas test line. During the second phase a comprehensive gravity gradiometry survey will provide detail on the salt architecture. This information will be used to constrain PSDM models.
The third phase will focus on a targeted 2D grid. The potential for further acquisition, including 3D, will be assessed after completion of the three-phase programme.
The Gabon round will be the country's first licensing round since 1999.