Page 9 - AfrOil Week 38 2019

AfrOil
NEWS IN BRIEF
AfrOil
UPSTREAM
Europa Oil & Gas awarded
large exploration licence
offshore Morocco
Europa Oil & Gas (Holdings), an oil and gas exploration, development and production com- pany with assets in UK and Ireland, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a new explo- ration permit for the Inezgane site, covering an area of11,228 square km in the Agadir Basin offshore Morocco. A formal letter of award from the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) is expected shortly and fol- lowing confirmation of its acceptance, Europa will be assigned a 75% interest in and operator- ship of the licence with ONHYM holding the remaining 25% interest.
Europa’s focus in the Inezgane Permit is on the Lower Cretaceous fan sandplay, which is a prolific producer in West Africa. Europa has determined that the key elements required for a working hydrocarbon system – namely, source, reservoir and seal – are all present in the licence area. In addition, a number of large structural traps located on the edges and above salt diapirs, have already been identified throughout the per- mit area. Europa plans to mature several of these stacked prospects, which each have the potential to hold over 250mn barrels of oil, to drillable sta- tus with a view to attracting one or more farm-in partners to drill an exploration well in the second phase of the licence.
The licence, which lies in water depths of 600-2,000 metres, has an eight-year term and comprises three phases. During the two-year initial phase, Europa will undertake a work programme, which includes reprocessing 1,300 square km of 3D seismic data, as well as other
technical studies. At the end of the initial phase, Europa will have the option to commit to drill- ing an exploration well in the second phase or to relinquish the licence.
To date, only 10 wells have been drilled in deepwater Morocco, of which only three have penetrated a complete Lower Cretaceous sec- tion. Given that the deepwater basins extend for some 1,800 km offshore Morocco, it is clear that the play is highly underexplored. If the Lower Cretaceous play can be successfully unlocked, enormous upside lies within the rest of the licence area.
Europa Oil & Gas, September 18 2019
SERVICES
Welaptega completes
mooring inspection
campaign for BP in Angola
Welaptega, a leading underwater inspection provider, has used its pioneering optical chain measurement system (CMS), complete with new automated edge tracking software, to execute a mooring inspection campaign for BP offshore Angola in very challenging subsea conditions.
The project saw Welaptega use its new edge-tracking data system and its patented CMS technology to inspect the mooring system of BP’s PSVM FPSO, which is situated in Block 31 offshore Angola. The PSVM project is the deep- est deepwater project in Africa.
Welaptega is the world’s foremost innovator of in-situ mooring inspection and photogram- metry technology. By using its innovative CMS for data collection, Welaptega was able to pro- vide accurate measurements in difficult oper- ating conditions, which are known to create
significant challenges for reliable and accurate data collection on mooring systems offshore Angola.
Unlike traditional mechanical chain meas- urement tools, the use of optics allows for diam- eter measurements to be taken from video frame grabs rather than requiring equipment to grip onto the chain. The tool gathers three measure- ments from a single placement. This means that deployment time is reduced, and the technology can complete an inspection 40% faster than tra- ditional methods.
The CMS is made up of four video cameras (depth rated for 3000 metres), integrated LED lighting control and a topside digital recording system that collects high quality video of the measurement locations. The new edge-tracking software then allows the data to be processed and measurement results delivered offshore.
Tyler de Gier, Welaptega’s general manager, said: “The warm waters found off the coast of Angola can lead to some of the highest cor- rosion rates around the globe and because of this, it is vital that operators have accurate data on the integrity of their safety critical systems that are susceptible to corrosion. However, the near-constant long period swells and resulting vessel motions in this region make it a challeng- ing area for deploying equipment and collect- ing measurement data. Our innovative optical CMS calliper allowed us to collect accurate data quickly, and we were able to complete the full campaign ahead of our predicted schedule. We are very pleased to have once again worked with BP in the region, and this is a relationship which we hope to continue to develop in the future.”
In November 2018, Welaptega was acquired by leading international subsea equipment and solutions specialists, Ashtead Technology, as part of its growth strategy. Since 2016, Ashtead Technology has significantly grown its business acquiring TES, Welaptega and Aqua-Tech Solu- tions. Ashtead Technology employs more than 180 people in Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi, Brous- sard, Halifax, Houma, Houston, London and Singapore.
Welaptega, September 23 2019
TGS commences latest
survey offshore north-west
Africa Atlantic margin
TGS has fired the first shot to commence a new survey in the MSGBC Basin, offshore north- west Africa. The Senegal Ultra-Deep offshore 3D survey covers over 4500 square km, with a modern broadband acquisition set-up. It is being undertaken in partnership with GeoPartners, using the BGP Prospector vessel , and has the full support of the national oil company, Petrosen.
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