Seismic survey contract awarded for Oman’s largest offshore block

Muscat, Dec 16 - The partnership of Eni Oman BV (a subsidiary of Italian energy major Eni) and Oman Oil Company Exploration and Production (OOCEP) — wholly owned by Oman Oil Company — has appointed the Norwegian-headquartered marine geophysical services provider Shearwater GeoServices to undertake a major seismic survey of the Sultanate’s biggest offshore concession — Block 52 — extending beyond Oman’s southern and southeastern coast.The contract award marks a new thrust by the Eni-OOCEP partnership to unlock the hydrocarbon potential of the mammoth 90,790 sq kilometre block. Shearwater GeoServices said it plans to deploy the Polar Express survey ship to acquire around 2,500 sq kilometres of 3D seismic, as well as 800 kilometres of 2D seismic. The exercise, due to commence before the end of this year, will take about three months, it noted.As reported by the Observer on December 9, 2018, Eni — the operator of Block 52 — announced that it was preparing to kick off a key phase in the exploration and appraisal of the deep water concession. “We will start shooting 3D seismic very soon,” said Lorenzo Casati, Managing Director — Eni Oman BV. “This is a very challenging area, despite our experience in this region; we started our activities in this Block in January (this year). Indeed, we are a pure start-up in Oman with offshore Block 52,” he stated during an industry forum held in Muscat.Although largely unexplored, the roughly sprawling concession is believed to be prospective for hydrocarbon resources based on evidence of the presence of petroleum systems in the block. Water depths range from 10 metres near the coast to 3,000 metres at the deep end, underscoring the challenges for Eni in the exploration and production, if any, of subsea resources. Eni Oman BV has a 55-per cent stake in Block 52. Qatar Petroleum holds a 30-per cent interest, while Oman Oil Company Exploration and Production (OOCEP) — the upstream investment arm of Oman Oil Company — owns the balance per cent.