Annual Report 2011 - PGS

MultiClient
Operations
Angola:
Mapping the Sub-Salt
Structures Offshore
Angola
In December 2011, the Ramform Valiant
began acquisition of more than 26,000 square
kilometers of GeoStreamer MultiClient data
on five blocks in the Kwanza/Benguela Basins
offshore Angola. The size of the survey area
corresponds to an area slightly larger than
Massachusetts or Wales. The project was
preceded by 12,500 line-kilometers of 2D
GeoStreamer data acquired earlier in 2011 that
targeted subsalt regions in the Kwanza, Benguela
and Namibe basins. In the final block awards
on December 20, 2011, BP, Total and Statoil were
made operators of blocks 24, 25, 38, 39 and
40, for which PGS will acquire seismic data.
Sonangol is a partner in all of the block licenses.
All four oil companies have committed to prefund
the PGS MultiClient survey. Operators
will benefit from early access to 3D seismic
data acquired via the most advanced seismic
technology available, clearer images of subsalt
structures and more lead-time for planning the
exploration wells they are committed to drill over
the next five years.
Company will work closely with Sonangol to
ensure that the project delivers valuable data
and time saving advantages to the operators
and significantly advances the collective
understanding of the geology of this important
play. PGS already has a high quality conventional
MultiClient 3D data set on blocks 24 and 25,
orthogonal to the data being acquired in 2012.
The existing data set will be reprocessed by the
Company. Together, these data sets will enable
PGS to construct the best possible velocity model
for processing the latest 3D GeoStreamer data.
The salt basins of Angola have a clear geological
association with similar offshore Brazil basins.
Recent advances in tectonic reconstruction
indicate strong parallels with the prolific presalt
Santos and Campos areas. PGS will use its
extensive MultiClient library covering both sides
of the Atlantic to study these links.
In February 2012, the PGS Apollo joined the
Ramform Valiant and acquisition will continue
with both vessels until the fourth quarter of
2012. PGS will begin processing data in March,
utilizing the latest depth imaging technologies
and building on the Company’s experience of
illuminating presalt targets in Angola. Together,
the two vessels will operate 20 vessel-months on
this project.
PGS, in association with Sonangol, has a long
history of investing in the latest technology
for Angola exploration and development. The
In 2012 PGS will acquire high quality
GeoStreamer MultiClient data on block 24,
25, 38, 39 and 40 offshore Angola, marked
by the red polygon. The acreage covered
is more than 26,000 square kilometers and
corresponds to an area slightly larger than
Massachusetts or Wales.
PGS Annual Report 2011 25