France's Total is set to begin a fast-track 3D seismic survey within weeks over and around its groundbreaking Brulpadda gas, condensate and light oil discovery off South Africa, in order to boost its understanding of this new frontier play.

An informed source said a seismic vessel has been secured and the shoot will start in early March and run until April, with the processed data used to help finalise the scope of a follow-up drilling campaign in the Outeniqua basin.

The new drilling campaign is likely to begin in December — South Africa’s summer — targeting up to four exploration wells on nearby prospects and perhaps an appraisal well on Brulpadda.

It is thought that a key exploration well would target Luiperd, the largest of five prospects — including Brulpadda — previously identified in Block 11B/12B in the deep-water Paddavissie fairway using 2D seismic data acquired 14 years ago. Luiperd, suggested one well watcher, is expected to be more in the oil window.

It is understood that Total could re-use Odfjell’s Deepsea Stavanger semi-submersible for the 2019 to 2020 drilling programme, after the rig successfully completed the Brulpadda-1AX re-entry well.

“There was very little downtime,” said a drilling source. “A lot of lessons were learned from the previous campaign. Total got it right this time.”

Total had to stop drilling in 2014 because the rig chosen for that initial probe could not handle the harsh metocean conditions, particularly surface and deep currents.

The drilling source said the re-entry well “came in on prognosis in terms of reservoir thickness and depth — there were no real surprises”.

The Brulpadda 1-AX well hit 57 metres of net gas condensate pay in two high-quality Lower Cretaceous reservoirs.

After successfully hitting the main objective, the probe was deepened to a final depth of 3633 metres and was also successful in hitting the Brulpadda Deep zone.

One source said the light oil pay was found in the upper zone — separate from the 57 metres of gas condensate pay intercepted — and bodes well for future drilling.

“There is an oil leg to the discovery, which hints there is potential for the rest of the prospects to be more in the oil window.”

The partners will not know for sure the gas-to-condensate ratio until they get the pressure, volume and temperature data, but one well-watcher suggested the gas is “really wet”.

As a comparison, PetroSA’s discoveries to the west in adjacent Block 9 are understood to hold, on average, about 115 barrels of condensate per million cubic feet of gas.

Upstream was told that Brulpadda’s hydrocarbons are generated from the same source rocks as PetroSA’s smaller gas, condensate and oil discoveries in Block 9, while some reservoirs are similar.

Toronto-listed Africa Energy Corporation (AEC), which has a minor stake in Brulpadda, said the well targeted two objectives in a marine fan sandstone system within a combination stratigraphic-structural closure.

It said core samples were taken in the upper reservoir while a comprehensive logging and sampling programme was performed over both reservoirs.

Total said Brulpadda is a “significant gas condensate discovery ,” with the supermajor’s head of exploration Kevin McLachlan describing it as having “opened a new world-class gas and oil play”.

Garrett Soden , AEC’s chief executive, said the discovery “de-risks the four other similar prospects.”

Mike Doherty, non-executive chairman of Impact Oil & Gas, which has an indirect stake in the find, added: “It’s the dawn of a new era for deep-water exploration off South Africa and we’re confident there will be more discoveries.”

Total has a 45% interest in Block 11B/12B and is partnered by Qatar Petroleum on 25%, Calgary-based Canadian Natural Resources (CNR) on 20% and South African junior Main Street on 10%.

After offloading a 45% stake to Total a few years ago, CNR then struck a deal to sell another 25% interest to a Western supermajor, said a market watcher.

However, it is understood that Total exercised a right of first refusal to scupper this deal and subsequently bring in Qatar Petroleum.

AEC holds 49% of the shares in Main Street, while investment group Arostyle holds the remaining 51%.

The Lundin family has interests in AEC while Africa Oil controls about 35% of the Canadian junior’s stock.

Privately owned Impact — in which Africa Oil holds a 30% stake — provided a $35 million loan to enable Arostyle to fund its share of Main Street’s earlier farm-in to the block.

Phuthuma Nhleko, chairman of South Africa’s telecom operator MTN, owns Main Street.

Block 11B/12B covers an area of 19,000 square kilometres with water depths ranging from 200 to 1800 metres.

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Total eyes return to Brulpadda play in December