Baraka begins second Mali gravity survey

Dec. 27, 2006
Perth-based Baraka Petroleum Ltd. has begun an second airborne gravity survey over its five Taoudeni basin blocks in northern Mali.

Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent

MELBOURNE, Dec. 27 -- Perth-based Baraka Petroleum Ltd. has begun an second airborne gravity survey over its five Taoudeni basin blocks in northern Mali.

The 24,800-line km survey is the second stage of an ongoing exploration program covering an area totaling 193,000 sq km in the Sahara Desert extending east from the border with Mauritania.

The survey is expected to take 42 days to complete, with interpretation available during second quarter, 2007.

In November, Baraka farmed out a 50% interest and operatorship in the five blocks to Eni SPA and a 25% interest to Sonatrach International Petroleum Exploration & Production.

However, the transfer of interest currently is awaiting approval from Malian authorities, and in the meantime Baraka has retained operational management of the gravity survey.

Baraka completed an airborne magnetic and radiometric survey of 235,254-line km during November and also expects to have those results during first quarter, 2007.

Combined results of all three surveys will provide the joint venture with better definition of the basin structure and will provide stronger leads for more-detailed future exploration.

This will include an extensive and comprehensive seismic survey planned for later in 2007.