Unlock Hydrocarbon Potential of Al Wasl Exploration at Gulf of Suez -Egypt: Case Study for New Strategy-Based Decision to Test New Play Concept
Authors: Morsy A. , Abou Hadid H. , Eid T. , Moustafa T. , Ibrahim N. , Abdel Hady M. , Adel A. , Abudooh M. 
Published: May 2024

Objectives/Scope

A new conceptual model for distribution of the Upper Rudeis Miocene Clastic reservoirs, along with a strategy-based decision to test new play concepts was the key to a successful exploration and appraisal campaign in the Central Gulf of Suez province. A successful journey led to unlock potential reserves as a field extension in a mature basin. This plan accounts for substantial expenses involving new platform construction, pipeline laying and drilling activities.

Methods, Procedures, Process

The distribution of the marine sands in the Gulf of Suez central province are not considered as submarine fans restricted to main bounding faults, but instead as an axial redistribution of distal turbidities of existing sediments inside the basin. This distribution is constrained by the intra rift half grabens and sub basins. Poor quality seismic data does not support the prediction of reservoir distribution trends. However, nearby wells encourage to move from known to unknow. Such an understanding of the Miocene sediments depositional fairways and distribution developed a new play concept of combined traps in such mature basin.

Results, Observations, Conclusions

A new geological understanding for Miocene reservoir distribution and trap styles in mature basin has led to explore the extension of Miocene reservoir producing in the Safa field in the central area of Gulf of Suez. Recent drilled wells increased the oil column of the producing field to more than 1200 ft with an "oil down to" contact. This doubled the booked reserves for the field and kept the door open for more appraisal wells in the area to define the reservoir extension through the introduced conceptual model. Considering alternative scenarios for reservoir distribution has led to ideas of drilling wells in the downdip direction with respect to possible oil water contacts rather than targeting the crest of the structures as previously. The results of this revised approach have served as crucial inputs to unlock new potential, refine and update development strategy. This directs investors to explore more hidden undiscovered hydrocarbon potential in a mature basin looking for such combined traps.

Novel/Additive Information

Unlocking new potential at mature basins specially under scarcity of data and poor data quality was achieved through introducing new conceptual model and full integration with multidiscipline to come up with full story. Proactive strategy of utilizing anticipated data, allowing for continual refinement of models to optimize field development strategies.

Throughout the decades, extensive exploration and drilling activities have revealed the Gulf of Suez to be home to numerous oil fields, both onshore and offshore. These fields vary in size and production capacity. Undoubtedly, the main obstacle to future exploration in such a mature basin, in addition to the structure complexities of general rift basin structural geology, is the presence of severe multiples obscuring potential traps. Continued improvement in seismic image-enhancements remains the key to the discovery of significant new reserves.

Meanwhile, the main drive for the new exploration concepts would come through new interpretation ideas and alternative conceptual models in terms of both structure and depositional settings. This allows a strategy-based decisions to test new play concepts to deliver the key to successful exploration campaign.

Dolson et al., 2000 Described Gulf of Suez as a technologically constrained basin in a mature exploration phase. A multitude of the largest fields, such as Belayim Marine, Morgan and July are rotated fault blocks with 3-way and 4-way closures against sealing shales or evaporites. Exploration in synclinal lows for deep-marine turbidite stratigraphic plays remains essentially untested. Exploration in Miocene strata of the Gulf of Suez is complicated by syn depositional movement around fault blocks that has created complicated reservoir distributions. Figure 1.