Ivory Coast
Vanco Energy Co., Houston, let a contract to Western Geophysical Inc. to acquire 2,000 line km of 2D seismic survey, effectively blanketing the 5,004 sq km Block CI-112 some 30 km off westernmost Ivory Coast. Water is 100-3,000 m deep.
Play concepts are an Albian fault block trend and younger fan deposits. Vanco also operates Block CI-109, on which it acquired a complete grid of 2,000 km of 2D spec seismic from Western. Vanco plans a 3D survey on CI-112 this November.
Mexico
Pemex let a $4.3 million contract to Cie. Generale de Geophysique to acquire 750 line km of 2D seismic data for the Tlalixcoyan project in the Los Robles region southwest of the city of Veracruz.
Survey time is 71/2 months. The estimated value of the project is $4.3 million. CGG will use heliportable equipment to speed acquisition and will process the data in Mexico.
Qatar
The Qatar Consortium led by ARCO is optimizing production from Al Rayyan oil field north of Qatar.
Goal for a second development phase is to expand facilities capacity to 60,000 b/d of oil with startup during second half 2000. Al Rayyan production averaged 15,500 b/d in the 6 months ended Mar. 31, 1999, compared with 24,400 b/d in the same period a year earlier, said 27.5% interest holder Gulfstream Resources Canada Ltd., Calgary.
The ALR 14 and 15 wells drilled in 1999 have combined initial production of 6,500 b/d of oil with low to moderate water cuts from Cretaceous Arab C. The wells confirm existence of established or interpreted reserves.
The two new wells bring the number of producing wells to eight. The group has drilled 12 total wells, all of which encountered oil pay, since 1994.
Nova Scotia
Veritas DGC Inc., Houston, will spend about $24 million on a 2 year geological survey off Nova Scotia for several unnamed clients.
The survey will cover 3,728 sq miles south of Sable Island where natural gas fields are under development. Water depths in the area range from more than 900 ft to 9,842 ft.
