Shell Namibia Upstream holds an environmental clearance certificate (ECC) for 3D acquisition as an integral component of the license. The company has submitted documentation to actively modify and extend the licence.
It intends to acquire 3D streamer seismic in addition to ocean bottom node (OBN) data. The latter provides “cleaner” data than that gathered by traditional seismic.
The company said that it intended to acquire more detailed coverage, using a smaller streamer spacing, for its 3D work. The seismic would “be helpful to support the identification of the most optimal drilling locations,” it said.
Shell’s ECC expires in June 2021. Under previous approvals, the company shot 2,500 square km of 3D in 2014 and another 6,000 square km from September 2018 to January 2019. It acquired another 1,400 square kilometres in PEL 39’s east in 2019.
Shell drilled the Cullinan-1X well in the area under the 2014 seismic. Shell drilled the Jonker, Lesedi, Graff, and La Rona wells in the area covered by the 2018 seismic. The company has drilled seven wells on this licence.
PEL 39 covers 12,299 square km, with water depths ranging from 800 to 2,500 metres.
SLR Environmental Consulting (Namibia) is acting as Shell’s independent environmental assessment practitioner.
The documents did not disclose when Shell intended to carry out the seismic acquisition. It will carry out stakeholder engagement next month, in February, with a ministry review and a decision expected in March.
In December, Shell officially announced the release of its Deepsea Bollsta rig, effective June this year. A company representative stated that during the remaining period, the rig would conduct an appraisal on the Jonker discovery and drill at least one additional exploration well.
