Offshore elephants are awaiting South Atlantic hydrocarbon hunters

South Atlantic abyssal plain is the emerging new exploration frontier, according to a new study by Petroconsultants of the deep water between Africa and Brazil. The report makes use of previously unworked seismic data in predicting big finds in the area. Elephant hunting is back in fashion, not just in Africa but across to Brazil. That's how Petroconsultants whimsically refers to the essence of its important new study of the deepwaters of the southern Atlantic which predicts a crop of giant 'elephant' size oil field discoveries over the next few years. The new finds will not, however, confirm to the classical concepts shaped from shallower exploration. Shelf concepts cannot be extrapolated to the slope, and the slope will not reflect the ultimate challenge of the abyssal plain. But Petroconsultants asserts with some authority that a major new oil province is emerging between the Girassol and Dalia 'elephants' on the African side and Marlim, Albacora and Albacora-Leste offshore Brazil. The South Atlantic African Basins study foresees exploration extending from water depths of 500-2000 m to ultra deep water depths of 2000-4000 m. The target will be giant turbiditc sandstone bodies on the plain of the ocean abyss. It will mean massive investments, high risk but hopefully rich rewards.