Exploring for Hydrocarbon in the Eastern Gulf Of Mexico
01-Jul-2009
On the 9th June in Washington, a resolution was passed before a Senate committee to approve the opening of the eastern Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas exploration. The provision was part of a broader energy bill passed in the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee which will end the drilling ban across most of the eastern Gulf waters and allow leasing outside a 45 mile buffer zone maintained off most of Florida's coast. This provision follows last year’s announcement by Congress to end a quarter century old ban that prevented energy development along 85% of the nation’s Outer Continental Shelf extending from New England to the Pacific Northwest.
This latest provision follows the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas leasing programme (2010-2015) published by the US Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service (MMS) in January 2009. This draft programme proposed a number of options for lease sales in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico in 2010, 2011 and 2013 respectively.
Spectrum has acquired and processed (some in partnership with TGS) 38,000 km of modern seismic data in the eastern Gulf of Mexico which allows oil companies to evaluate the prospectivity of this region ahead of the proposed lease sales. The data was acquired in two phases between 2006 and 2008 as part of Spectrum’s “Big Wave” seismic programme. Spectrum will soon re-commence acquisition in the next phase of Big Wave which is a further 12,000km of high quality, long offset seismic data. The acquisition of Big Wave Phase 2 will commence in July and is scheduled for completion in November. The survey has received excellent support and sponsorship from a number of major oil companies.
An analysis of Big Wave Phase 1 data along and outboard the Florida Escarpment, has revealed a number of possible hydrocarbon accumulations both on the platform area and in the deeper waters. The data was processed at Spectrum’s Houston regional data processing and imaging centre with a sequence which includes both Kirchhoff and Wave Equation pre stack depth migration (PSDM). This technique, together with display of the data in the depth domain gives geoscientists an excellent understanding of the geology in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The recent announcements are a positive step forward in allowing oil companies to fully explore the highly prospective Eastern Gulf of Mexico.
About Spectrum
Spectrum provides seismic data processing, multi-client services and marine acquisition services to the global oil and gas industry from offices in UK, US, Egypt, China and Pakistan.
The company offers a wide range of modern 3D and 2D land and marine seismic data processing, in both depth and time. Spectrum’s library of multi-client data and reports cover all the major oil producing regions of the world. Its seismic data acquisition activities are spearheaded by its own vessel, the GGS Atlantic.
Notes to editor
Download press release online: http://www.spectrumasa.com/News-And-Events.php
Image caption: The area discussed in the draft proposed energy bill 2010-2015 in Eastern Gulf of Mexico and its correlation with well locations and Big Wave surveys.
Press contact:
Robin Wolstenholme, Ballard Communications Management
Tel: +44(0)1306 882288
Email: r.wolstenholme@ballard.co.uk
