Suriname's Staatsolie invites partners for offshore search
STAATSOLIE, the state-owned Suriname oil company, is seeking international partners in the search for oil and gas in
its near-shore and deep offshore hydrocarbon basins.
Dr Eddie Jharap, Staatsolie's managing director recently initiated a major promotional effort on behalf of the
company. All of Suriname's modest total of 8,300 bpd of crude is produced onshore in the extended Tambaredjo field,
north-west of capital Paramaribo. The field covers 28,300 acres and contains 165 mm barrels of proven recoverable
reserves.
Staatsolie drills about 80 wells a year in Tambaredjo but wants foreign partners to take on the main responsibility
for marine drilling. The near-shore area is about 3,725 sq km and extends up to 30 km from land, in shallow water
depths of up to 100 feet. Two sets of seismic data were acquired in the area during the last 30 years, one by Elf and
the other by Gulf Oil. Gulf drilled seven wells in 1983, three encountering oil shows. None of the wells were
tested.
In 1986, Austra-Tex and Nomeco drilled another five wells but no commercial finds were made. Nomeco participated in a
new study of the area in 1995- 1996, which resulted in the identification of various potential petroleum traps that
form the basis of the present promotional initiative.
The deep offshore hydrocarbon basin covers 67,220 sq km and lies in water depths of up to 200 m.
