SBGf - Sociedade Brasileira de Geofísica

Workshop The Deep and Ultra-Deep Waters of the Equatorial Margin Of Brazil

Workshop Goals

Discuss the State of the Art of Exploration in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin in a forum composed of geoscientists from the oil and gas industry, geophysical service companies, academia, regulatory institutions, and other actors in petroleum research. It is expected as the main result and based on the collection of data and existing studies, to obtain an updated technical and scientific view of the exploratory potential of the basins of the equatorial margin and the risks inherent to the exploration of that vast offshore frontier area.

Justification for holding the event

With the enormous success achieved by the petroleum industry in the discovery and development of huge hydrocarbon reserves in Guyana/Suriname in South America and Ghana/Ivory Coast in West Africa it is natural and obvious that the industry attention turns to the Brazilian Equatorial Margin (BEM). This huge stretch of sediments runs for 2000 km and present in the deep and ultra-deep waters (DW/UDW) enormous Drift Sequence packages up to 11,000 m thick. They occur out beyond the 200 Nm EEZ, into water depths that exceed 3000 m. These deposits are practically undrilled. Only 15 wells were drilled in the DW and UDW of the BEM up to now and NONE of them targeted Cretaceous turbidites in stratigraphic traps. Therefore, when considering that these targets constituted the big prizes that are being harvested in those countries, it is logical to conclude that the BEM is a huge undrilled frontier area for this victorious play.

Geophysical methods were fundamental in the discovery of the riches in the Equatorial Atlantic, notably seismic tools. By using the most modern techniques of acquisition and processing to new seismic surveys and applying the lessons and concepts learned from the exploration of analogous areas, the seismic industry has been demonstrating that the DW and UDW of the BEM have all the components necessary to the discovery of several Jubilee-, Liza- and Baleine-like giant fields.

This workshop intends to present the latest geophysical tools employed and the interpretations that lead to the conclusion that the DW/UDW of the BEM constitute one of the last frontiers of the world capable of providing new large reserves of oil and gas.

Target Audience

Geoscientists and managers from the oil and gas industry, geophysical service companies, academia, regulatory agencies and other important actors in petroleum research.