Global Petroleum Ltd. agreed to transfer to National Petroleum Corp. of Namibia (NAMCOR) a 7% participating interest in PEL0094 offshore northern Namibia in exchange for 3D seismic data covering an area of 1,583 sq km. The majority of the survey is in PEL0094 (Block 2011A), with the remainder in Block 1911 to the north.
PEL0094, covering 5,798 sq km with water depths of 400-1,500 m, includes Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene sandstones including the Marula lead with further potential both east and west of the license. Also included is Lower-Upper Albian basinal sandstones in the south-east with same age play as proven by the Cormorant-1 well, and Lower Albian- Upper Aptian shallow water carbonates including the Welwitschia Deep prospect with further potential identified northeast of the license.
Prospective resources are sourced from Aptian marine “Kudu Shale” mudstone, which is quality source rock in wells at Kudu, Moosehead-1, Murombe-1 and Wingat-1. At the latter, also within the Walvis basin like PEL0094, high-quality, light oil was recovered to surface. Gas was sampled in seabed cores east of Welwitschia Deep and Marula lead and within PEL0094, suggesting that the source rock has been buried within the license to, at a minimum, the main oil window of maturity.
Marula lead is a stratigraphic trap where the Upper Cretaceous, deep water sandstones pinch out to the west onto the Welwitschia structure. The reservoir is the same age as the target of Welwitschia-1A where sands were absent, thus providing strong evidence of lateral seal 4 km west of Marula lead. The 2012-13-1 well, 100 km to the southeast, proved the Marula reservoir where well samples contained light and heavy oil.
Welwitschia Deep is a fault and dip-closed structural trap in the Albian carbonates, as are the Gemsbok, Lion, and Dik Dik prospects in PEL0029, west of PEL0094. Welwitschia-1A, drilled in the western part of Block 2011A in 2014, primarily targeted Upper Cretaceous sands on the crest of a large structure but did not encounter a reservoir. Welwitschia Deep forms part of the prospectivity in the deeper Albian carbonates which Welwitschia-1A did not reach.
NAMCOR’s total interest in PEL0094 will be 17%, up from its previous 10%, carried to first production. Aloe Investments, a private Namibian company holds a 5% interest, carried through exploration. Global remains operator of the license with 78% interest.
