KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has undertaken a new offshore multi-client 2D seismic survey in the northern area of the Straits of Melaka to explore and map the hydrocarbon potential in the open blocks of PM320 and PM321 of the Langkasuka Basin.
The national oil company said this ongoing seismic survey was initiated in October 2023 and is set to conclude in late December this year.
In a statement, Petronas said the survey would increase the availability of a larger pool of seismic data, leading to a higher probability of discovering hydrocarbon potential, which, in turn, is expected to attract prospective investors in future bid rounds.
It said the survey covered an area of over 38,000 square kilometres (km), aiming to acquire approximately 8,000 km of new 2D seismic data to provide superior quality seismic data for prospecting the pre-tertiary targets.
“Petronas continues to invest in data enrichment for Malaysian basins, like the emerging Langkasuka Basin.
“Initiatives such as this multi-client seismic survey are expected to attract exploration interests to support the country’s production growth strategy,” said Petronas senior vice-president of Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM) Mohamed Firouz Asnan.
Meanwhile, MPM’s senior general manager of resource exploration, Azmir Zamri, said the recent study of the Langkasuka Basin indicated hydrocarbon potential in the untested deeper pre-tertiary formation, which prompted this seismic survey.
“The first exploration probe is expected in the next three years to test this exciting new geological play,” he added.
Petronas, through MPM, is the custodian of the petroleum resources in Malaysia. With this mandate, MPM manages petroleum arrangements and provides stewardship on upstream exploration and production activities in the country.
More information on investment opportunities in Malaysia’s upstream sector is available at https://www.petronas.com/mpm/.–Bernama
