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EXPLORATION Exploratory drilling to start in eastern Tanzania

April 29, 1996

Where Tanzania Wildcatting is Proposed [56556 bytes] Exploratory drilling is possible later this year in southeastern Tanzania. Tanganyika Oil Co. Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., is negotiating with potential partners to drill two structures near the Indian Ocean coast about 180 miles south-southwest of Dar es Salaam (OGJ, Nov. 13, 1995, p. 107). The East Lika well would test the Mandawa Jurassic salt basin on Block 1. It would be drilled to 6,700 ft to test a feature that could hold as much as 200

Where Tanzania Wildcatting is Proposed [56556 bytes]

Exploratory drilling is possible later this year in southeastern Tanzania.

Tanganyika Oil Co. Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., is negotiating with potential partners to drill two structures near the Indian Ocean coast about 180 miles south-southwest of Dar es Salaam (OGJ, Nov. 13, 1995, p. 107).

The East Lika well would test the Mandawa Jurassic salt basin on Block 1. It would be drilled to 6,700 ft to test a feature that could hold as much as 200 million bbl of oil in a presalt structural closure of 5,200 acres.

The Mitole A prospect, a 7,500 ft test, could hold as much as 330 million bbl of oil in an intrasalt structural closure of 7,400 acres, said Mamdouh Nagati, president.

Tanganyika said it identified several other prospects and leads on Block 1, including a giant deeper presalt prospect called Mita that might contain as much as 2.42 billion bbl in three potential reservoirs that occupy a structural closure of 31,000 acres.

Shell Petroleum Development Co., a previous operator, spent $37 million exploring Block 1. It acquired seismic and gravity data in 1987-88 and drilled a deep exploratory well in 1990. The well penetrated mature Lower Jurassic oil source rocks below a massive salt section but failed to find a quality sandstone reservoir.

Tanganyika reprocessed about 30% of the seismic data and then decided to target prospects on the basin's western margin, closer to the sand source where better quality sandstone reservoirs are anticipated, Nagati said. The Mandawa-Rufiji basin's geologic setting is similar to those of Yemen rift basins, Tanganyika said.

Meanwhile, TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. and Ocelot Energy Ltd., Calgary, are in early stages of a $300 million project to develop onshore-offshore Songo Songo field and deliver gas through a 12 in., 140 mile pipeline to a Dar es Salaam power station starting in 1998 (OGJ, Oct. 30, 1995, p. 24).