South America: Others

SOUTH AMERICA

Stuart Wilkinson, Contributing Editor

Others

Suriname’s national oil company, Staatsolie, contracted WesternGeco to acquire 2,796 mi (4,500 km) of 2-D seismic data in near-shore Suriname in preparation for its first bidding round. The round is planned for opening in November this year and will run until May 2002. Up for grabs will be seven exploration licenses: six near-shore and one onshore.

Staatsolie drilled 15 infill wells in Tambaredjo field last year and plans to drill another 47 wells this year. Last year, 12,295 bopd were produced; this year’s target is 14,529 bopd.

The SDWC consortium has given up and dissolved after disappointing drilling results in shallow offshore waters. The consortium comprised Burlington Resources, Shell, TotalFinaElf and Korea’s KNOC.

Guyana’s offshore border dispute with Suriname, in which Canadian oil company CGX Energy left its exploration lease at gunpoint, has not been resolved, nor has another territorial dispute with Venezuela.

Offshore French Guiana, territory has been leased by Hardman Resources subsidiary Planet Oil. The lease extends from the 12-mi coastal limit to the 9,843-mi (3,000-m) water-depth contour and comprises 25,097 sq mi (65,000 sq km), which is most of Guiana’s offshore territory. The license calls for a five-year exploration program and a well drilled within three years.

In October 2000, the Barbados National Oil Company (BNOC) resumed its oil-drilling program in Woodbourne. The project was suspended in February 1999 due to low oil prices. Last year, oil production averaged 1,548 bpd, 18% less than in 1999.

Uruguay imports all of its oil (43,000 bopd), mainly from Nigeria and Venezuela. State oil company Ancap has been renewing its efforts to get international oil firms interested in E&P investment. Ancap announced in May of this year that it has joint plans with Repsol-YPF to determine whether there is oil offshore Uruguay.

The Falkland Islands government agreed with Swedish firm Lundin Oil to exchange a drilling commitment in Tranche F for acquisition of 2-D seismic data in licensed and unlicensed areas.