Kunene-1 Well Results and Implications to the Hydrocarbon Prospectivity of the Unexplored Namibe Basin

Sergey Belyakov¹, Vladlen Donovsky¹, Alexander Kolomantsky¹, Tamlyn Gourrah², Jean Malan², Sumesh Naidoo², Alastair Baumann³, and Bradley Birkelo^4
1Sintezneftegas, Moscow, Russian Federation
²PetroSA, Parow, South Africa
³Namcor, Windhoek, Namibia
⁴Digital Prospectors, Houston, TX

The Namibe Basin is located on and offshore in the northernmost part of Namibia and southern Angola. It is the last unexplored hydrocarbon basin along the West African margin. The recent major hydrocarbon discovery in the Santos Basin across the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil upgrades the potential of the geologically related, but to-date undrilled, Namibe Basin. Block 1711 is located in the southernmost part of the Namibe Basin on the northern Namibian border with Angola. To its south is the Walvis Ridge, the volcanic ridge that forms the southern boundary of the restricted Aptian West African salt basin that developed during the early phase of Africa and South America continental separation.

The first offshore Namibe Basin well Kunene-1, to be drilled in early 2008, targets the 95 km square (23,400 acres) Kunene prospect located in the northwest portion of Block 1711, one of several identified prospects. The Kunene-1 well, in water depth of 876m, plans to intersect the primary target below 2 900m, a large four-way dip-closed anticline, interpreted as Albian carbonates equivalent to the Pinda and Sendji Formations to the north, where good reservoir quality is known. The expected total depth of Kunene-1 is 5 500m, with secondary targets located in the early drift carbonates debris, clastics or volcaniclastics and top of syn-rift sections.

Source rocks are expected below the primary target as early drift marine organic rich shale and rift phase organic rich Bucomazi-equivalent lacustrine shale. The numerous gas chimneys and seabed pock mark features present on the 3D seismic covering the Kunene prospect are evidence of an active petroleum system.

The results of the Kunene-1 well, to be completed by April 2008, will be presented and its implications to the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Namibe Basin discussed.

AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa 2008 © AAPG Search and Discovery