OREANDA-NEWS. Research vessel "Polar Duke" has commenced 3D seismic surveys of the area covered by the Gaz Poludnie exploration and appraisal licence held by LOTOS Petrobaltic S.A. The licence area includes natural gas accumulations designated as B21 and B16, as confirmed by exploration wells. The objective of the surveys is to make a detailed appraisal of the prospects to an extent sufficient to plan subsequent wells and assign reserves the fields. "Thanks to the surveys we will gain a better understanding of the hydrocarbon potential of our licence areas," said Marek Brzozowski, Head of Exploration at LOTOS Petrobaltic.

"We are entering the phase of very intensive appraisal work, which will accelerate the implementation of the LOTOS strategy in the upstream segment," emphasised Zbigniew Paszkowicz, Chief Exploration & Production Officer of the LOTOS Group and President of the Management Board of LOTOS Petrobaltic. "This is the priority area of LOTOS' development strategy until 2015." As part of the "Efficiency and Growth" programme, the Baltic Sea will be the focus of LOTOS Petrobaltic's operations. We want to fully exploit its potential and the hydrocarbon reserves lying beneath the sea floor within the Polish economic zone.

After the work on the Gaz Poludnie licence is completed, Polar Duke will head towards the Gaz Polnoc licence area, where it will carry out 3D seismic surveys of the B4 and B6 gas fields owned by Baltic Gas, a company established by LOTOS Petrobaltic and CalEnergy Resources Poland. The purpose of the survey is to make a more accurate appraisal of the fields to select optimum locations for the drilling of production wells.

In total, the seismic surveys will cover 490 square kilometres of the Gaz Poludnie and Gaz Polnoc licence areas.

"Polar Duke", which will perform the marine acquisition work in the Gaz Poludnie and Gaz Polnoc licence areas, is a modern, well-equipped seismic vessel, put in service in 2010. The ship is operated by Dolphin Geophysical, an international firm whose experts will perform the seismic acquisition work within the licence areas.

LOTOS Petrobaltic has also commissioned seismic surveys of prospective formations located in the Leba, Rozewie, Sambia Wschod and Sambia Zachod licence areas, to be carried out by the end of the year. The 3D and 2D surveys will cover 383 square kilometres and 400 kilometres, respectively.

At the same time, LOTOS Petrobaltic is engaged in intensive work related to the development of the Baltic B8 field. The first oil flow from that offshore production site is expected in 2015.