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“A mixed bag” the southern part of Kaieteur, which covers an
Gerard Walsh, Westmount’s executive chair- area of 13,535 square km. Netherland, Sewell &
man, commented: “The outcome of the Tana- Associates Inc. (NSAI) has drawn up a report
ger-1 exploration well has proved to be a mixed based on data collected during the 3D seismic
bag, confirming the extension of the Liza play survey that puts these fields’ unrisked gross pro-
fairway onto the Kaieteur Block but apparently spective oil reserves at 2.1bn barrels, with aggre-
coming up short at the deeper stratigraphic lev- gate estimates ranging from a low of 694mn
els. As Tanager is a stacked pay prospect, success barrels to 5.85bn barrels.
at a number of stratigraphic levels is required to Equity in the Kaieteur block is divided
achieve stand-alone commercial discovery vol- between Esso Production & Exploration Guy-
ume thresholds. However, these deeper results ana, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, with 35%;
must be viewed in the context of the very limited Cataleya Energy (Canada), with 25%; Ratio
number of penetrations of these deeper plays to Guyana, a subsidiary of Ratio Petroleum, with
date, indicating that exploration of these deeper 25%; and the US independent Hess, with 10%.
plays offshore Guyana is at an early part of the Westmount Energy is an indirect shareholder,
learning curve.” through its ownership of a 5.4% stake in Cata-
According to previous reports, ExxonMo- leya Energy and a 0.7% stake in Ratio Petro-
bil has identified nine separate prospects in leum. ™

SURINAME
Staatsolie calls tender for eight

shallow-water offshore blocks

STAATSOLIE Hydrocarbon Institute (SHI), for the sites slated for auction on November 30.
a division of Suriname’s national oil company The institute will then close the data room in
(NOC) Staatsolie, has opened a new offshore mid-March and will accept bids until April 30,
bidding round. 2021. It has named Envoi (UK) as its advisor for
In a statement dated November 16, SHI said the bidding round.
that eight blocks had been included in the auc- Potential investors will have the opportu-
tions. All eight lie within the shallow-water sec- nity to submit offers for exploration contracts,
tion of Suriname’s offshore zone. the institute said. These contracts provide for
They lie near the western border of that zone, the collection of 3D seismic data during the
to the south of the deepwater oil deposits dis- first phase of exploration, with a “drill-or-drop”
covered by Apache (US) and Total (France) at before the launch of the second phase, it noted.
Block 58 and to the north-west of Tambaredjo The shallow-water zone is “currently unli-
and Calcutta, the country’s two onshore produc- censed and underexplored,” with only six
ing fields. exploration wells drilled and little seismic data
SHI is scheduled to open its virtual data room collected to date, SHI noted.

All eight blocks are within the shallow-water section of the offshore zone (Image: Staatsolie)

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