RWE Dea Completes 3D Seismic Survey Offshore Suriname

Only five months after RWE Dea’s arrival in Suriname the German company announces the successful completion of a 3D seismic acquisition program in the offshore Licence Block 52.

Following the data acquisition, the data will now be processed with the results becoming available for interpretation in the second quarter of next year. RWE Dea is holder of a 40% interest with PETRONAS being the operator holding the remaining 60%.

From end-September to early November, the seismic vessel Polarcus Naila recorded around 1,800 square kilometres of 3D data on behalf of the PETRONAS / RWE Dea consortium in Block 52 off the coast of Suriname.

“With the aid of this new data as well as already existing vintage 3D data, we can now prepare a meaningful image of potential hydrocarbon reservoirs across the entire licence area,” explains Dr Hans-Hermann Ecke, Senior Vice President New Ventures RWE Dea AG. It was possible to carry out the seismic measurements in only 53 days, i.e. a few days early and on budget. “We’re particularly pleased that this significant program has been carried out efficiently and without incident,” Ecke adds.

Processing of the newly acquired seismic data has already commenced and the results of the interpretation of the data should provide detailed information about previously identified prospectivity on the block. The seismic acquisition activities were preceded by an extensive environmental study of the entire survey area.

Licence Block 52 covers a total area of 4,743 square kilometres and is located in the Guyana-Suriname Basin, some 120 kilometres off the north-eastern coast of South America. Block 52 is located in a favorite position in the highly prospective Guyana-Suriname Basin where the PETRONAS / RWE Dea consortium is mainly targeting Cretaceous plays in water depths ranging from 80 to 500 metres.

Earlier this year, under the terms of a farm-in arrangement RWE Dea acquired a share of 40% in Block 52 from PETRONAS Suriname, the operator of the venure with a stake of 60%. The Equatorial region of South America is one of RWE Dea’s core regions and is of key strategic importance to the company.