Regional Prospectivity of Offshore Namibia and the Angolan Namibe Basin

Abstract

Summary The underexplored offshore deepwater basins of Angola and Namibia hold tremendous potential for hydrocarbons. Recently acquired broadband 2D seismic from the Namibe Basin (offshore Angola) and offshore Namibia has allowed a detailed imaging of syn-rift and post-rift structures, enabling more confident identification and mapping of prospects analogous to those so prolific in the South American conjugate margins. Horst and graben structures that formed during rift phases are now visible in the depth-migrated seismic data beneath 3–6 km of post-rift sediments. Thick salt, which is well known to the north, extends into the northern Namibe basins. Post-rift channel and fan structures can be identified as high amplitude anomalies throughout the area. Cobalt’s recent discoveries in Angola have proven the great potential of pre-salt sediments and fuelled the search for prospects at this level in other nearby basins. In Namibia, a new phase of activity over the last few years includes wells by HRT and Chariot which have proven the existence of mature middle Cretaceous source rocks. Several further wells are planned for 2014 The improved imaging and resolution provided by modern broadband seismic significantly de-risk exploration in a frontier deepwater area where well costs are high.