Seismic acquisition has now started on the major new Polarcus Capreolus 3D multi-client project over the Phoenix area that contains the recent Phoenix South-1 oil discovery within the Roebuck Basin, offshore Western Australia.

Carnarvon Petroleum says that, together with previously acquired data, the survey will cover the majority of the four exploration permits making up the Phoenix area, namely covering WA-435-P, WA-436-P, WA-437-P and WA-438-P.

Polarcus says that the survey is utilizing two high performance 12-streamer Polarcus vessels, Polarcus Amani and Polarcus Asima, operating in tandem in order to maximize production.

On January 12, 2015 the Polarcus Asima seismic vessel started acquisition of a large 3D multi-client three dimensional seismic program referred to as the Capreolus MC3D.

Carnarvon and partner Finder Exploration were the first to licence 3D seismic data in the Phoenix area that now contains the Phoenix South-1 oil discovery. The first 3D seismic acquisition in this area (the Phoenix MC3D) covered 1,100 km2 and was acquired late in 2010 / early 2011.

The Capreolus 3D multi-client project comprises a substantial 15,000 sq. km and has been designed by Polarcus in collaboration with the project underwriters to provide a basin-wide high quality broadband 3D seismic dataset over and adjacent to the Phoenix South-1 oil discovery announced in 2014. The basin is one of the few remaining underexplored parts of Australia’s North West Shelf and considered to have the potential to become a major new oil province, Polarcus said in the release.

The data acquisition phase is estimated at approximately eight vessel months (four calendar months), with the resultant data being processed through a pre-stack depth migration routine by DownUnder GeoSolutions in Perth.

Polarcus notes that final data products are expected to be available within Q2 2016.

Carnarvon Petroleum Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Adrian Cook, said: “The Phoenix South-1 oil discovery last year is important in terms of the potential for the Phoenix South structure but on a larger scale it provides significant encouragement regarding the hydrocarbon prospectivity within the Phoenix area.”

Apache is the operator with 40% interest in all four exploration permits (WA-435-P, WA-436-P, WA-437-P and WA-438-P) and Carnarvon has 20%, 30%, 20% and 30% interest in the permits, respectively. Finder Exploration also has 20%, 30%, 20% and 30% interest in the permits, respectively.

Source: www.offshoreenergytoday.com

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