--> Bridging the Gap: “Onshore to Offshore”, Shallow Water Rakhine Basin

AAPG Asia Pacific Region, The 4th AAPG/EAGE/MGS Myanmar Oil and Gas Conference:
Myanmar: A Global Oil and Gas Hotspot: Unleashing the Petroleum Systems Potential

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Bridging the Gap: “Onshore to Offshore”, Shallow Water Rakhine Basin

Abstract

The shallow water coastal strip of the offshore Rakhine Basin is relatively unexplored to date. A drilling campaign in the mid-1970s by AODC found mainly shales and significant overpressures, with limited subsequent drilling activity. To further evaluate this component of the 2013 license round, Shell (together with JVPs) acquired large swaths of 3D seismic data which extended partially into the shallow water. To complement this geophysical imaging and to infill portions of the acreage without seismic coverage, it was recognized that integrating onshore geological observations could assist in constraining the prospectivity of the shelf. With this in mind an “Onshore to Offshore” workshop was held together with joint venture partners (MPEP and Woodside), with the main objective of integrating onshore observations with the offshore evaluation. Covering multiple subsurface disciplines, the workshop initially considered constraining four proposed structural models: 1) Thrust duplex 2) Rotated thrust duplex 3) Oscillating pull-apart mini-basin 4) Lateral ramp. These models were calibrated against the semi-regional structural setting and geological maps to help constrain the most likely model. Subsequently, onshore geological (outcrop, maps, cross-sections, satellite imagery) and geochemical (seeps) observations were used to postulate the possibility of extending the onshore oil discoveries offshore. Observations from Boronga, Cheduba and Ramree Islands, as well as coastal areas proved fruitful. This presentation will highlight some of the key observations and the importance of multi-disciplinary, multi-company, regional to prospect maturation. Acknowledgments We would like to express gratitude to our JVP’s Woodside and MPEP for their discussion and collaboration.