MORE OPERATORS JOIN BLACK SEA SEARCH

Exploration in the lightly explored Black Sea is starting to take off with new contract awards off Turkey and Bulgaria.

BP Exploration signed a 50-50 venture with Turkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortakligi (TPAO) covering a 76,000 sq km tract in the southeastern Black Sea.

And off Bulgaria, Enterprise Oil Exploration Ltd. and British Gas,plc have joined Texaco Inc. in acquiring acreage in the first licensing round in the Black Sea.

During the first 3 years of the BP-TPAO joint venture, the combine will run a 13,000 line km seismic program this year of which 6,000 km was acquired by TPAO earlier this year. The airborne laser fluorosensor (ALF) also will be used in the early stages of exploration that could lead to the first wildcat being spudded in the mid-1990s.

The acreage runs from 12 miles off the northern coast of Turkey to the boundary with the Soviet Union and as far west as 34 E. Lat. BP said water depths in this frontier area exceed 6,500 ft in places.

Enterprise signed an agreement with Bulgaria's Committee of Geology and Mineral Resources (Commgeo) to explore the 2,000 sq km Block 11 off the port of Varna.

Enterprise also is a partner in another agreement among a unit of Texaco Inc., Austria's OMV Aktiengesellschaft, and Commgeo covering the offsetting 2,000 sq km Block III (see map, OGJ, May 20, p. 27).

Commgeo holds a 50% interest in each of the blocks, which have an initial 5 year exploration period with the possibility of a 2 year extension and a production permit covering an additional 25 years.

Block II is a 50-50 venture between Enterprise and Commgeo.

British Gas was awarded two blocks, both in 50-50 partnership with Commgeo.

Block IV (Kamchia) covers 2,130 sq km and holds one gas/condensate discovery.

The second block is onshore. Block 10 (Burgas) covers 4,250 sq km in eastern Bulgaria around the city of Burgas.

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