Gabonese authorities have identified one more petroleum province for deepwater hydrocarbon prospecting. It is the central offshore part of the country. The ministry of mines industry and energy hopes that the Gabonese portion of the Douala Basin, located in this part, should be as prospective as the salt basin, in which the French major TOTAL made a discovery in August 2013.
The ministry is finalizing the acquisition of seismic data in E-13, F-13, G-13, I-13, I-14 and I-15, utilizing the Chinese vessel, BGP Prospector S/V.
Gabon was admitted into the West African deep-water hydrocarbon league with the encounter of some 50-55 metre net hydrocarbon pay in the deepwater pre-salt play, in TOTAL operated Diaman-1B, in the Diaba Licence. The country, with this well, broke a 12 year old jinx. Gabon had been left in the dust since the first wave of deepwater successes began in in West Africa in the mid 90s, recording a string of dry holes while Angola, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea established the region as the leading deepwater producer on the globe. The survey in the Douala Basin is in preparation for a proposed licensing round between the end of 2013 and early 2014.
