South Atlantic Petroleum, Lagos, and Marex Inc., Houston, have let a contract to Fugro GeoConsulting for a hydrocarbon seep survey of the central Mozambique Channel deepwater frontier offshore Madagascar.
Sapetro and Marex hold nearly 70,000 sq km of exploration permits in the French territory of Juan de Nova and the Belo Profond block in Madagascar waters.
The survey is designed to scientifically identify and sample areas where natural seeps may be venting hydrocarbon-rich fluids. Sapetro last year collected samples from multiyear-persisting surface oil slicks that had been detected on satellite radar.
A major four-way structural closure believed to be of Cretaceous age near to the seeps will be explored with a 3D seismic program by the PGS M/V Ramform Sterling in early first quarter 2014 (OGJ Online, Sept. 23, 2013).
Sapetro said, “This general region of East Africa has yielded many very large natural gas discoveries, but the actual geologic window with oil, instead of gas, has been elusive. This is an area that may yield those oil-rich deposits.”