CGG on Friday announced that later this month, it will commence a four-month multi-client airborne gravity and magnetic survey, offshore South Africa.

The company stated that the program which is to cover two blocks of about 78,000 line km has been approved by the Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA), as well as received prefunding from the oil industry. Survey data and interpretation products will be available for licensing in mid-2016.

The areas for the survey are situated offshore Cape Agulhas and offshore Durban and the specialized geophysical survey aircraft is expected to be used for the project.

The survey will make provision for limited coverage of the underexplored Western Bredasdorp, Durban, and Zululand basins. Data from the survey will help with the mapping of crystalline basement and also magnetic and density abnormalities within the sedimentary section. The airborne survey will permit the gathering of data via the transition zone from the marine environment to the near-shore, Offshore-mag reports.

According to PASA’s acting Chief Executive Officer, Lindiwe Mekwe, The oil industry’s funding of CGG’s early-phase exploration effort is a proof for the prospectivity of the region. She noted that the agency is hopeful that the geological insights of the West Bredasdorp and Eastern Margin areas acquired from the survey will attract more exploration investment and help focus explorers’ efforts.

Anita Fatunji