UK/Ireland cross border seismic completed

OE Staff Nov 10, 2015

GeoPartners, in partnership with MAGE, Seabird Exploration and DownUnder GeoSolutions (DUG), has announced the completion of the acquisition of a new Ireland/UK multi-client 2D seismic survey. This is the first broadband long offset cross border survey of its kind, comprises a total of 5124 line km and is located mostly in the Irish North Celtic Sea and St Georges Channel. Acquisition was completed in September 2015 using the MAGE vessel Nikolay Trubyatchinsky (formerly Polar Explorer).

Image from GeoPartners.

This project will provide high quality regional data in an area of increasing industry interest following the 28th licensing round awards on the UK side of the median line and several new license options on the Irish side. However, a considerable portion of this area currently remains unlicensed.

The Celtic Sea and UK Western Approaches province is largely underexplored at pre-Cretaceous levels and shows promise, especially within the Jurassic and Triassic sequences - which few wells have penetrated. There is a proven Liassic source rock and potential reservoirs include the Triassic Sherwood sandstone and Jurassic limestone and sandstone. Locally, the Carboniferous could provide a gas source from coal measures and a potential oil source from the Bowland shale, as in the Morecambe Bay Hamilton field. Issued by Indalo International on behalf of GeoPartners.

The post-acquisition survey map illustrates the data that is now available for licensing at early participant terms until the end of 2015.

The survey provides well ties to most of the key wells in the survey area, including:

• UK 106/24-1 which had live oil shows in Middle Jurassic Bathonian limestones and sandstones.

• IRL 49/9-2 Helvick oil discovery which flowed light oil (44° API) at a cumulative rate of 10,000 bo/d from Middle Jurassic Bathonian limestones and Upper Jurassic sandstones.

• UK 103/1-1 Dragon gas condensate discovery which flowed at a rate of 21 MMscf/d from Upper Jurassic sandstones.

• UK 107/21-1 encountered a 400ft (122m) sand in the lower Jurassic. A Liassic sourced play in the area should be valid subject to maturity of source. Broadband processing and imaging will be carried out by DUG, utilizing their deghosting solution, DUG Broad. Processing is ongoing and is due for completion early Q2 2016. The survey is well supported by industry funding.