North East Obayied (NEO) and North Matruh (NM) 3D Survey - A Step Change in Seismic Quality in the Western Desert

The 1200km2 3D seismic program acquired in the North East Obayied (NEO) and North Matruh (NM) concessions is a landmark project in the history of Shell exploration in Egypt.

Shell Egypt(SENV) was awarded the North East Obaiyed (NEO) and North Matruh (NM) concessions in the 2011 onshore bid round. The concession agreements for the two blocks were signed on the 31st of October 2013, kicking off the first exploration phase. The work program for the first exploration phase included a commitment for the acquisition of 2400 km2 3D seismic followed by the drilling of 9 wells. Prior experience from the neighboring Obayied field indicated that the quality of conventional legacy seismic would prove to be sub-optimal in imaging the deeper prospectivity that was being chased.

Accordingly, a survey with significantly higher specs (denser sampling, longer offsets, lower frequency and naturally higher fold) than the legacy acquisitions in the Western Desert was proposed to help unlock exploration value of the leases. The objective of the acquisition was to achieve a step change in seismic imaging quality in comparison to the legacy seismic we have acquired in the Western Desert.