FINAL PROGRAM

The Equatorial Margin represents the newest exploratory frontier with the mission of bringing us not only the opportunity for new discoveries and energy security for Brazil, but also the opportunity to develop a new generation of oil and gas projects. This new generation of greenfields will lead the energy transition within the sector by massive use of digital technologies, artificial intelligence and state of the art algorithms in the projects, as well as intensifying the application of ESG actions to respect and attend the environmental, social and infrastructure characteristics of the region. Therefore, the new generation of greenfields will enable the new energy ecosystems, based on the strong integration and cooperation between the entities of the project's area of influence.

Mario Carminatti is a Brazilian geologist, doctor of Earth Sciences, who has been working for PETROBRAS since 1978. As a geologist Mario had occupied technical and managerial positions in the process of hydrocarbon resources exploring in deep water regions of the Brazilian sedimentary basins. He is the current Petrobras Exploration Executive Manager for Petrobras, a position he has held since 2008.

In recent years we have seen various streamer acquisition designs being developed -some to improve efficiency and some to improve quality. These have been enabled in part by the concept of blended sources -that is, firing the next source before the end of the current seismic record -then overlapping sources need to be deblended at an early step in processing. This means that multiple sources become viable from a fold of coverage points of view, essential for imaging, but more so for the “processability” of the data with sufficient spatial sampling in the common-trace and CMP domains. There has also been a drive to learn how to tow sources wide, outside of the inner streamers, giving better near-offset distribution. Though this is operationally challenging, the result is another way to tune a survey for a particular basin.

With the above ideas and others, I briefly consider the EM basins in turn to suggest geometries that maximize efficiency for the geophysical and geological challenges. The Bacia de Barreirinhas, Portiguar and Pará-Maranhão are briefly summarized as deepwater plays with some structural complexity and faulting. Possible geophysical concerns are multiples on and below the plays. Large, wide spreads can be used in these basins and optionally wide-tow sources. Efficiency is the main driver. The Bacia do Ceará is deep water with a rugose water bottom with a concern of complex surface multiple over the principal plays. Here we need to think about survey optimization using forward modelling to understand better the relationship between the surface multiple, the spatial sampling and the more subtle stratigraphic plays.

It would be expected that narrow spreads with finer crossline sampling would be safe, with two longer streamers for better velocity modelling with FWI. Crossline sampling is important for the imaging of the seabed but also to model and remove its complex multiple. The Bacia da Foz do Amazonas has diverse play types, ranging from shallow to deep water. Given stratigraphic plays and fault imaging solutions can be like the Barreirinhas or Ceará. However, an operational consideration of high currents can make streamer acquisition difficult to impossible. In these cases, nodes will be the answer; however, for exploration, new deployments are needed to make exploration surveys viable -these will be long-life nodes, faster node-on-a-rope and ROV deployment/retrieval. In addition, multiple sources and source vessels will help efficiency where multi-vessel operations may be permitted with marine vibrators. All of these are expected over the next few years as the node related technologies mature and should be considered in the long term strategy of the Foz do Amazonas.

ED Hager is a graduate of Southampton University, where he studied Geophysical Sciences. He has been working in the geophysical industry since 1991, starting with Western Geophysical as an onboard field QC. Since then, he has spent time in geophysical support, data processing and survey design departments for WesternGeco, becoming Solution Design and Modelling Regional Manager for the Middle East Area before leaving in 2014. In 2014 Ed joined Polarcus as the area geophysicist for the Asia Pacific region based in Singapore. In 2021 Ed was appointed chief geophysicist acquisition for Shearwater GeoServices based in their Gatwick office

The offshore basins of the Brazilian Equatorial Margin (BEM) are new promising frontiers for Oil & Gas exploration. There are high expectations to find huge discoveries similar to those of Suriname and Guyana. To be able to efficiently find and localize these promising fields we need to have reliable seismic images. While the Equatorial margin in Brazil lacks the complex salt structures as in the case of Santos basin, it poses a new range of challenges for seismic imaging. Strong impedance contrast from carbonate layers in the proximal region limits diving wave penetration for available narrow azimuth streamer data. Massive erosive surfaces in the shallow section create strong lateral variations of elastic properties, which affects illumination and amplitude characteristics of the data. Furthermore, in deep water portions, the Late Cretaceous/Paleocene channel-fan system, which encompasses the main reservoir of the BEM, requires a high-resolution velocity model for precise imaging and characterization. These challenges among others render classical least-squares Full Waveform Inversion and Tomography techniques suboptimal. Given recent advances in seismic imaging technology, we reassess here these challenges on Narrow Azimuth Streamer datasets from Barreirinhas and Foz do Amazonas basins. We show how technologies such as Time-lag FWI combined with geological knowledge and interpretation could reach more geologically consistent velocity models that improve our understanding of the petroleum systems. Uplifts in the seismic image are seen both at the intra and sub-carbonate levels, as well as at the deep-water reservoir intervals. Better characterization of the channel-fan system is possible, with reduced amplitude and depth anomalies. In the deeper sections, new insights about the connections of source rocks to the reservoir level are revealed.

Filipe Rudrigues has an MSc in Physics from the Federal University of Pernambuco and a later MSc in Physics from Stony Brook University. He has worked as a processing geophysicist at CGG’s offices in Houston and Rio de Janeiro. In 2021, he moved to the Research and Development department to focus on developing new methods for velocity model building. He currently leads the Full Waveform Inversion research efforts with emphasis on Brazilian Equatorial Margin datasets.

Amanda Porto is a geologist with 10 years of experience in seismic interpretation and basin analysis for the O&G Industry, four of them dedicated as an Interpretation Geophysicist at CGG Brazil, her current position. She has a Geophysics PhD and MSc degrees from the Observatório Nacional, in Rio de Janeiro. Her research focused on the integration of seismic and non-seismic datasets for regional tectonic models in the onshore Parnaiba basin (NE Brazil). At CGG, Amanda has been involved in the interpretation of several 3D seismic surveys in the offshore Brazilian margin including Santos and Campos. In her current role, she directs the integration of geological knowledge into business cases, as well as support velocity model building efforts. She is currently spearheading the interpretational efforts for Equatorial margin datasets with focus on the Foz do Amazonas basin.

Over the years the Amplitude Versus Offset (AVO) analysis has proven to be an efficient tool for screening vast areas for prospectivity. The effectiveness of the tool depends on the quality of the seismic data. Modern seismic surveys and new reprocessed data give access to the accurate measured low frequencies as well as the broader range on the high-end side of the spectrum. Two recent 3D surveys from Potiguar and Ceara have been analyzed in this study. The derived attributes provided a good match at known discoveries and dry wells. This provided confidence that the amplitude anomalies in other parts of the surveys could be trusted too. Multiple prospective features have been identified during the analysis. Most of the leads have a stratigraphic component for hydrocarbon trapping. The results will be presented during the workshop.

Yermek Balabekov is a seismic reservoir characterization specialist with 17 years of experience and exposure to North and South America, Europe, and Central Asia petroleum basins. MSc from Kazakh National Technical University. During the Brazil assignment 2013-2016, Yermek worked on a Technical Collaboration project with peers from Petrobras testing novel methods in the domain of 4D Bayesian inversion. Since 2016, Yermek is based in Houston and is responsible for QI (rock physics, inversion and AVO) studies in the NSA region.

The five sedimentary basins of the Brazilian equatorial margin (MEQ) have very different geological and geophysical challenges and geophysical challenges regarding the quality, image, resolution, and seismic detection. In this lecture, the latest technological developments in seismic acquisition, processing and interpretation will be discussed. Analogies with deep water turbidities that presented recent exploratory discoveries will be shown as those in Guyana, Ivory Costa and Ghana. Finally, a view of innovation and technological developments that seek the sustainability of geophysical activities will be described.

Paulo Johann is currently the Senior Advisor for Petrobras, based in Rio de Janeiro. Paulo has more than 40 years of technical and managerial experience in the petroleum industry. He graduated with a degree in geology from UNISINOS University, RS, Brazil. Paulo received his D.E.A. and Ph.D. degrees in reservoir geophysics from Sorbone University (Paris VI), France. His career has encompassed activities in geophysical acquisition, geophysical interpretation, and reservoir geophysics. Paulo is also a frequent lecturer at Brazilian universities. Paulo became active in the Brazilian Geophysical Society (SBGf) and SEG where he has served in many positions including its vice presidency. He has published and presented several technical papers at SEG, EAGE, SPE, OTC, and SBGf. Paulo was appointed the first Central & South America SEG Honorary Lecturer. He is an active member of EAGE, SEG and SPE.

Frontier basins lack calibration points (wells) and have large exploration uncertainty. The time to first oil is critical, both from an E&P and a government perspective. When entering an underexplored area, the objective is to find large hydrocarbon accumulation as early as possible. If several wells are drilled without significant hydrocarbon discoveries the exploration expenditure in the basin tend to slow down significantly. Seismic is almost indifferent to low versus high hydrocarbon saturation. Once a prospect is identified from seismic, the main remaining geological uncertainty is therefore related to charge and seal. This ambiguity results in the exploration portfolio being drilled with large uncertainty regarding hydrocarbon saturation and ultimately resource volume. Thus, a geophysical tool that reduce the hydrocarbon saturation uncertainty prior to drilling is of great value. Controlled Source Electromagnetics (CSEM) is such a tool. The CSEM response depends on both the hydrocarbon saturation and the size of the saturated part of the reservoir. If the hydrocarbon saturation and/or size is insufficient, the sensitivity to the reservoir is low, resulting in the absence of a CSEM anomaly. Combining seismic and CSEM will de-risk both the saturation and the size of the hydrocarbon accumulation, which helps to identify prospects with significant resource potential.
To illustrate the potential of CSEM in the equatorial margin of Brazil, we have generated a representative resistivity geo-model including several reservoirs. The reservoirs have varying hydrocarbon saturation, depth, size, etc. and thus varying CSEM sensitivity. We simulate a CSEM acquisition and run the data through a standard workflow including 3D inversion and anomaly identification. The CSEM Value of Information (VOI) is illustrated by showing how a potential drilling sequence of several prospects is optimized by including CSEM in the prospect ranking. We can compare the creaming curve with a and without considering CSEM. To support the modeling results for the frontier basin in Brazil, we present real CSEM survey results. We compare the actual creaming curve for the Barents Sea and how the exploration results would have turned out if CSEM had been available and used consistently in the decision making. Comparing a CSEM driven creaming curve with the actual illustrates a large uplift applying CSEM data early in the exploration phase

Dag Helland-Hansen has a Geophysics MSc degree from NTNU and later a Geology MSc degree from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. He has through his career worked various technical and managerial roles in exploration and appraisal projects in Norwegian and International Oil companies, most notably Chevron and Aker BP. Currently in his role as Global Exploration Advisor in EMGS, he has a partly technical role where he works on advice on how to use CSEM in exploration projects for companies around the world and a partly commercial role leading the efforts on new business development and international sale and marketing. He has authored or co-authored a number of technical papers amongst others on CSEM for conventions including the SEG and EAGE and also at NCS conferences

Ole Jakob Birkeland has a MSc in Physics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Currently full-time consulting as Data Scientist for Unacast, Ole Jakob has also worked 14 years in the oil and gas industry as a geophysicist, technical adviser, manager, and business developer. He has extensive knowledge of the seismic industry through his experience at CGG, and the CSEM method through employment and later consulting for EMGS. Co-authored papers both within the seismic domain and on the CSEM method. Presenter at SEG Denver 2014, AAPG ICE 2019.

Environmental concerns are causing expressive interruptions and delaying the exploration in the frontier deep and ultra-deep Brazilian Equatorial basins. In addition to the delay in possible economic results, there is still a long way to de-risk the potential of these basins. Great exploratory potential for this region has been interpreted based on a limited number of deep-water wells, and interpretations based on shallow water wells. Key issues are the age and nature of the oceanic crust within deep and ultra-deep waters, and the timing / significance of magmatic events of different ages throughout the margin. Seismic indication of the presence of Cenomanian-Turonian source rocks, plenty of marine seals and turbiditic sandstones associated with stratigraphic traps supports the overall enthusiastic view of a proved dynamic petroleum system within the Brazilian Equatorial basins. However, the potential is not uniform throughout the Equatorial Margin. First order geodynamic observations give clues about the exploratory potential of both sides of the Equatorial Atlantic, predicting the position in time and space of each basin, magmatic events (and their associated heat influx) and the respective criticality for the petroleum systems.

Renato Darros de Matos attended Cornell University as Graduate Student (1991-1992).

• Ramped the Onshore Potiguar Basin from a new frontier basin to a Petrobras exploratory priority during the 80’s, while deeply involved in the discovery of more than 15 oil and gas fields, acting initially as a geophysicist and later as a manager.
• Led oil and gas R&D at UFRN (Rio Grande do Norte Federal State University), with the implementation of applied research laboratories in geophysics and geology, sponsored by ANP (National Petroleum Agency) and Petrobras. • Co-founder of Flamoil Serviços Ltda.
• President of the northeast regional section and Council-member of the SBGf (Brazilian Geophysical Society) during the 90’s.
• Led and organized the creation of an independent oil and gas company, focused on onshore exploration.
• Coordinated the creation of ABPIP (Brazilian Independent Petroleum Producers Association) and became its first president (2007).
• Help to reverse Petrobras’s exploratory perspectives in Libya and adjacent Mediterranean offshore basins. Led exploratory team in identifying and correcting critical technical approaches; optimizing hardware and software and strengthened local human resources.
• Transformed Imetame Energia into a known new operating company in the E&P Brazilian domestic market.
• Management Director of PPSA (Pré-Sal Petróleo S.A).
• Extensive knowledge in the Equatorial and Southern Atlantic margins, as well as on the world-class pre-salt discoveries in Brazil.
• Since 2017: Independent Consultant – Guarini Serviços.

The Center of Excellence in Petroleum Geophysics was founded in 2014 at the Federal University of Ceará to study the Brazilian Equatorial Margin Deepwater. The Center of Excellence started its activities in the Ceará Basin where the graduate program of the Department of Geology defined the following topics: a) understanding the structural framework of the Ceará Basin and its relationship with the petroleum system and the transform and extensional tectonic of the Equatorial Atlantic; b) identification of the source rocks with the mapping of anoxic environments and the main generators of the rift, transitional, and open marine phases and; c) using seismic attributes to interpreting depositional environments and better predict Deepwater turbidites reservoir facies using machine learning algorithms. Meanwhile, two studies on shallow waters were concluded concurrently: a) geostatistical analysis to extrapolate the reservoirs facies identified in shallow water to the Deepwater, and b) Geological Modeling of the carbonatic Xareu field. The insights presented in these recent studies are therefore crucial to understanding the multitude of geological processes that can lead to the trapping of hydrocarbons in the Ceará Basin. Ultimately, the number of Petroleum Geosciences professors increased at the Department of Geology at UFC and they continue to guide students within the Center of Excellence in Petroleum Geophysics, with a broader vision of exploring the Brazilian Equatorial Margin basins.

Karen Leopoldino is an Assistant Professor at the Federal University of Ceará in the Department of Geology. Her research and teaching focus on the application and development of applied geophysics and geological field mapping. Dr. Karen research group is the Center of Excellence in Petroleum Geophysics, Remote Sensing and Prospecting Geophysics Laboratory (LGPSR-UFC), and Attribute-Assisted Seismic Processing & Interpretation. Her research areas are Seismic Attribute Interpretation, Quantitative Interpretation, Seismic Data Processing, Reservoir Characterization, and Potential Field and Electromagnetic Methods. Seismic reflection data is currently the main investigative data being utilized. Current projects are combining seismic interpretation with developments seismic attribtes and machine learning.

Ana Clara B. Souza is a postdoctoral researcher at Unicamp, where she works with geotechnology applied to oil and gas studies using multi and hyperspectral geologic remote sensing. During her Ph.D. period, she worked in the Center of Excellence in Petroleum Geophysics. Her research involved sequence stratigraphy and the organic geochemistry of hydrocarbon source rocks on the Equatorial Margin of Brazil. Based on their results, Cretaceous oceanic anoxic events from Ceará Basin were mapped for the first time. Ana Clara's previous experience includes facies analysis and the characterization of unconventional petroleum systems in Paleozoic basins of northeastern Brazil involving geochemical characterization.

Narelle Maia de Almeida is a Geologist, Professor of Department of Geology of the Federal University of Ceará. Coordinator of the Marine and Applied Geology Lab (LGMA-UFC) and Researcher of the Center of Excellence in Petroleum and Gas Geophysics. Ph.D. in Geology with the sandwich period in Cardiff University (Wales, UK) and Master in Geodynamics and Geophysics by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). She has experience in Geosciences for over 10 years with an emphasis on Marine and Petroleum Geology and Geophysics and is the author and co-author of several technical papers in renowned journals, such as AAPG Bulletin and JMPG. Some areas of her interest are marine geophysical methods, petroleum systems, modeling and characterization of oil and gas reservoirs, and marginal sedimentary basins, especially those of the Brazilian equatorial margin.

Francisco Nepomuceno Filho is a professor at the Federal University of Ceará in the Department of Physics and coordinator of the Center of Excellence in Petroleum Geophysics. He has a master’s degree from University of Texas and a Ph.D. from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas. He worked at Petrobras for over 39 years as an executive manager for petroleum exploration and production in Brazil and as head of Petrobras’s London office dedicated to presalt technology. In the Center of Excellence in Petroleum Geophysics he coordinates several projects related with presalt and the Brazilian equatorial margin.

The Brazilian Equatorial Margin is the region of the country with the greatest potential for making discoveries that could, in aggregate, add significant volumes of hydrocarbons to national reserves over the next decade. This is due to both external and internal factors. Externally, neighboring and/or genetically linked sedimentary basins have been systematically reporting world-class hydrocarbons discoveries, the most obvious example being Guyana. Internally, the exploratory history of the basins of the Brazilian Equatorial Margin has focused on shallow waters and, to a small extend deep water, but using geological models that are not the same as those observed in recent discoveries. Therefore, there is a huge potential in Brazilian portion, in deep and ultra-deep waters, virtually unexplored. In this lecture, we will address the current geological models for the region, as well as point out which measures the ANP has been adopting regarding the availability of these areas in the Permanent Offer model.

Ronan Ávila is a geologist (UFRRJ) with over 20 years of experience, master’s in petroleum systems analyses (UFRJ-COPPE) and specialist in project management (USP-ESALQ). He joined the ANP in 2013 as specialist geology and geophysics of oil and gas and currently holds the position of Deputy Superintendent of Geological and Economic Assessment [ANP-SAG]. Previously, in the government sector, he worked at Energy Research Company [EPE], Geological Survey of Brazil (CPRM) and Brazilian Nuclear Industry (INB). In the private sector, he worked as an offshore operations supervisor at Fugro and a G&G consultant at Halliburton and Paradigm Geophysical companies and mudlogging at the Georesearch company.

The Foz do Amazonas and Pará-Maranhão Basins in the western part of the Brazilian Equatorial Margin (BEM) constitute the natural uninterrupted continuation of the Guyana-Suriname-French Guyana continental margin to the south. They are typical two-stage normal- to oblique-rift, followed by drift, extensional basins developed upon a magma-poor passive margin. Since the Zaedyus discovery in French Guyana, situated only 50 km to the north of the Brazilian maritime border, the hopes for further similar discoveries in the Brazilian side were high. The recent extraordinary success of ExxonMobil in Guyana and other companies in Suriname strongly reinforced such belief and points to the urge of resuming exploration in the Foz do Amazonas and Pará-Maranhão Basins. Their homologous basins in a cross-atlantic correlation are the producing deep waters of Ghana and Ivory Coast. New seismic surveys in these two basins revealed leads and prospects similar to those played successfully in both sides of the Equatorial Atlantic.
The similarity starts with the source rocks. Albian, Turonian and Coniacian marine anoxic shales are the main source rocks in the deep and ultra-deep waters of the Equatorial Atlantic conjugate margins. Their existence in the Pará-Maranhão and Foz do Amazonas Basins are hinted by the strong biomarker correlation of oil shows in shallow waters with the marine anoxic shales. Both deep and ultra-deep water areas in the basins are devoid of rift sequences, their sedimentary section resting directly upon oceanic crust. The petroleum system, thus, is developed in the Drift Sequence. Both Drift Sequences are disturbed by the loading effect of the Amazon Cone and of huge volcanic edifices and by structural deformation related to gravitational cells. Turbidites are well developed in the Late Cretaceous sections of both basins, being stratigraphic and mixed-type traps the dominant accumulations envisaged in such situations. Migration routes are fractures and faults related to volcanic loading and in subtle drape folds atop volcanic highs. An important secondary target in both areas, visible in new vintages of 2D seismic surveys, consist of Albian carbonate constructions developed on top of buried Albian volcanos (atolls), mimicking the Ranger-type play of Guyana.

Pedro Victor Zalán worked for Petrobras for 34 years where he held the positions of well site geologist, interpretation geologist, explorationist, coordinator of technical teams and exploration manager for several basins in Brazil and worldwide, notably for the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, West Africa and South America. He was appointed top senior consultant in his last 8 years with the company. His technical interests are mainly structural geology, tectonics, architecture of rifts/ruptured continental margins, exploration in deep/ultra-deep waters, seismic interpretation/mapping, and integration of regional data in order to evaluate the economic potential of major petroleum systems. Zalán has produced several tens of publications and has given presentations in numerous international conferences. He received a Bachelor degree in Geology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and the M.Sc. and Ph.D. titles in Geology from the Colorado School of Mines, Golden. He was awarded the Orville Derby Golden Medal in 2005 by the Sociedade Brasileira de Geologia, the Gabriel Dengo Memorial Award from the AAPG (2010) and the Giuseppe Bacoccoli and Rodi Ávila Medeiros Medals (2012 and 2017) by the ABGP (Brazilian Association of Petroleum Geologists). Upon retirement, Zalán founded ZAG Consulting in Petroleum Exploration, based in Rio de Janeiro. Since 2012 he has been a consultant for exploration matters for more than 30 companies in Brazil and abroad; as well as for Brazilian government entities such as ANP, EPE and the Navy.

Milos Cvetkovic is presently the Geophysical Project Manager for TGS Western Hemisphere Business Unit and has been working for processing services companies for more than 15 years. Milos has a MSc in Geophysics (University of Houston, 2007) and MSc in Geophysics with honors (University of Belgrade, 2005). He has published numerous abstracts and papers on various seismic imaging, model building and processing topics and is one of the early proponents of broadband, long offset, wide-azimuth 3D data as well as continuous recording 2D data. Besides advanced modeling and illumination for marine seismic, his research interests are practical application of advanced workflows and collaborative approach to marine seismic programs. He is an active member and reviewer with SEG and AAPG and a member of EAGE annual technical program selection committee for geophysics and geology.

Randall Etherington presently serves as Exploration Advisor for TGS. He has a long history of developing projects, prospects, and drilling programs onshore as well as offshore. Experience includes decades of success in deep-water passive margins as well as the complexities of fold-thrust belts. Advanced experience in areas of 2D and 3D seismic interpretation, quantitative geophysical evaluation at both the play and prospect scale, interacting with and working for major and independent oil companies and seismic processing vendors to achieve the best quality seismic data prospects. Deep-water evaluation has included many Atlantic Margin basins from Eastern Canada to the southern basins of Argentina, and from Morocco to Angola of West Africa. In the Gulf of Mexico his experience includes both US and Mexico. After earning a BS in Engineering Randall’s education was interrupted by military service as a Pilot in the U.S. Air Force before completing a MS in Geology.