The following articles were published in an Oil & Gas Magazine from 1997 to
2002. I will posting other articles leading to the signing of the Petrolium
Licnce in  separate mails.

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Minnows sniff out Gambian prospects


13.12.1997


THE TINY west African state of Gambia is witnessing a quiet revival of
interest in its long neglected exploration frontiers.

A trickle of potential explorers is returning to examine the potential of the
anglophone enclave, spurred by slower than expected progress in restarting
the hydrocarbon search in neighbouring Senegal where rebel activity is
dampening interest. Gambian Petroleum Commissioner Kabar Jawara has
been actively courting industry attention at international conferences from
Cape Town to Accra, and this appears to have borne fruit. Current interest is
understood to focus on block G-9, close to where Chevron drilled duster
Jammah-1 back in the 1970s. All of Gambia's offshore blocks 1 to 9 remain
open. Geologists at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Development, which
is responsible for administering oil exploration, are now dusting off dossiers
compiled in the Eighties, when seismic done by Petro-Canada identified both
onshore and offshore prospects in very deep strata. It is hoped the
application of modern interpretation techniques can replace earlier gloom with
optimism. Gambia's model clauses are all negotiable, including the range
within which royalties are calculated, and no adjustments to the legislation
are currently planned. Industry sources indicate that in the last few weeks at
least five companies have shown interest in the data and most of these will
know by the end of January if they intend to proceed. Potential prospectors
include Denver-based Wavetech Geophysical, which is already active in the
Ivory Coast, US outfit Sun Island and a clutch of West Australian companies -
- Balmain Resources, West Oil and Ikoda. Perth-based Ikoda and West Oil
have a tie-up arrangement targeting the African market. Wavetech's Abidjan
office admits to an interest in the play but says it cannot follow through until
it knows where current negotiations are headed with Senegal state company
Petrosen. The US company is engaged in processing work for Petroci in the
Ivory Coast but is now angling to interest Petrosen in a deal that would give it
project management of open competitive tenders when the country's
exploration drive restarts.

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Plodding progress frustrates explorers


20.05.1997


SLOW progress in identifying and promoting fresh hydrocarbon prospects in
Senegambia is sapping exploration and investment interest in the region, say
industry sources.


The geographical area, which encompasses the administratively separate
countries of Senegal and Gambia, has seen companies come and go despite
signs of promising petroleum potential. Heavy oil has been discovered off
Senegal's Casamance province and there are good gas prospects in the
north. But Upstream understands Irish independent gas producer Tullow Oil
is shifting its focus from Senegal to east Africa where it is tipped this month
to clinch an onshore-offshore tract in Tanzania. British geological
consultancy Broadway Hydrocarbons is understood to have glanced at the
Senegambian play but is not considering serious involvement as yet.
PetroCanada is also looking increasingly to east Africa despite having done
much to promote Senegambia's potential including seismic sweeps in 1983
and 1991. A number of companies got interested but quickly backed out,
laments Fansu Nyassi, Gambia's deputy commissioner for petroleum.
Blocks have been designated and periodic discussions held but so far no
company has committed to a work programme, although we are trying to
promote these areas, especially offshore , said Nyassi.


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Gas find ignites Senegal hopes


18.03.1997


SENEGAL national oil company Petrosen has completed testing a gas
discovery on its onshore Gadiaga play near the capital Dakar. The company
hopes the find will help it attract foreign participants whose financial clout will
be needed to prove up the area's gas potential.


Petrosen is currently preparing a package including seismic re-interpretation
and revised reserve estimates for the area, first drilled by Shell in the mid-
1970s. Gas shows were encountered then but last month's discovery well GD-
2, renamed Thies, tested successfully from two zones in the late cretaceous,
flowing 10 million cubic feet a day and 5 MMcfd respectively. That has
prompted unconfirmed speculation that reserves could exceed 120 Bcf.
Documents will be sent out to potential partners in July but Petrosen insists
it does not require their participation to proceed with its planned four-well
exploration programme, which is scheduled for completion before the end of
the year. The highly prospective Maastritchian formation extends from the
country's southern Casamance region into the continental shelf. Thies is
located only five kilometres from the coast, fuelling earlier rumours that the
country has serious offshore potential. Talk of offshore oil prospects always
centered on Senegal's southern territories and along the disputed maritime
boundary with neighbouring Guinea Bissau. This problem is now resolved but
interested companies have to work with the international Agency for
Management and Co-operation based in Dakar, which was recently set up to
supervise activities in the zone. While Elf is no longer pursuing prospects in
the area, Upstream understands that Shell has continued to demonstrate its
interest in the province. Petrosen is focusing on the prospect of exporting gas-
fuelled power to Gambia, Mali and Guinea Bissau, where agreements are
close to being signed. To achieve this, the existing 250 megawatt generating
station at Cap de Biche near Dakar will have to undergo expansion and gas
production will need to be stepped up. The only producing field, Diamniado, is
run by Irish independent Tullow in equal partnership with Petrosen. One well
supplies a maximum of 10 MMcfd to the grid, depending on demand, but
Tullow plans to drill up to three additional producers this year to tap reserves
estimated at 200 Bcf. ··ALGERIAN state oil company Sonatrach has been
invited to explore for oil in Senegal by Petrosen. The invitation was made in
Algiers at the close of the Algeria-Senegal Joint Economic Commission last
week. There has been no preparation for such a venture on either side and
the move appears to represent political intent rather than a commercial
proposition. Sonatrach lacks the necessary expertise to explore Senegal's
main oil prospects, which are thought to lie offshore.

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