THE HAMMER The Quarterly Magazine of the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago October 2015

Drilling in the Oropouche &

Moruga East Oilfields
GSTT AAPG wellsite visits for geoscience students

Petrotrin’s 4C Ocean Bottom

Cable 3D Seismic Survey
Terrell Dhanpaul & Samuel Ragbir share a success story

Trinidad & Tobago’s Deepwater Campaign

Javed Razack highlights the Strengths and Challenges OCTOBER 2015 I
 The HAMMER is the fellowship
IN THIS ISSUE magazine of the Geological Society of
Trinidad and Tobago.
October2015
The Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago
UTT Building, Esperanza Road
Brechin Castle, Couva
T: +868 679 6064
F: +868 679 6064
W: www.thegstt.com
E: thegstt@gmail.com

Editor
Xavier Moonan

The Executive of the Geological Society of Trinidad and

Tobago (2014-2015)
 Dr. Krishna Persad (President);
 Mrs. Kim Gillezeau (President Elect);
 Mr. Xavier Moonan (Immediate Past President);
 Ms. Helena Inniss (Treasurer);
COVER STORY : Implications of the Contractual  Mr. Ron Daniel (Director);
Obligations and Taxation Regime of  Dr. Ryan Ramsook (Director);
 Ms. Reshma Maharaj (Director);
Deepwater Trinidad  Professor Brent Wilson (Director)

The Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago accepts no responsibility for the views
expressed in any article in this publication. All views expressed, except where explicitly
stated otherwise, represent those of the author, and not those of the Geological
Society of Trinidad and Tobago. All rights reserved. No paragraph of this publication
may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission. Every effort
FEATURES has been made to trace copyright holders of material in this publication. If any rights
have been omitted, the publishers offer their apologies.

GSTT FAMILY DAY

5
Members share their experience at the Valencia Nature Centre

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO CURRENT DEEPWATER

GSTT AAPG WELLSITE VISIT—LA FORTUNE ANTICLINE
CAMPAIGN
11 38
A. Cooblal & B. Mohammed take us to the Oropouche drilling campaign
Javed Razack tackles the challenges facing this much
anticipated exploration campaign

CENTRICA ENERGY CORE WORKSHOP

20
Zain Ramsingh summarizes the workshop’s core concepts..
ON A REGUALR

GEOLOGY WITHOUT LIMITS

PRESIDENT’S CORNER
25 Keith James pitches new insight on the Caribbean Plate evolution 3 A Message from the President of the GSTT

PETROTRIN’S OBC SEISMIC ACQUISITION PEOPLE POWER

15
28 T. Dhanpaul & S. Ragbir share their success story Spotlight on Geoscientists in our country and region

BRAINERCIZE
GSTT AAPG WELLSITE VISIT - ROCK DOME ANTICLINE 47
33 Maneesha & Charis take us on their journey to the Moruga East Oilfield

ON THE COVER: Heavily folded

RETRENCH UNDER THE MICROSCOPE metaquartzites, Blanchisseuse, North
Coast Trinidad , (photo by Mr. Xavier
37 Stefon Harrypersad’s exciting final year project
Moonan, Centrica Energy)

OCTOBER 2015 I 2
 PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Friday, October 2, 2015
In 1976 when I (assisted mainly by Mahendra Nath) helped start the Geological Society of
Trinidad and Tobago, we determined from the outset that Kenneth Michael Birchwood
(known to everyone as Ken or the Birch) had to be the Society’s first President. We
(Mahendra and I) basically did all of the work, including drafting the constitution, organising
the initial formation meetings, getting the first elections organised etc.
Ken kept on complaining that he was feeling guilty as had not contributed activity wise and
that we had done all of the work and he was feeling like he did not deserve the position as
President.
We pointed out to him that we were still regarded in the Industry as young ones and did not command the respect and
recognition that he did and that was exactly his role…to be the public face and persona of the Society. At that time he
was Exploration Manager at Trinidad Tesoro and was very highly regarded not only in the Industry but throughout the
country.
Ken was duly installed as the GSTT’s first president and we had a very successful launch at the Trinidad Hilton on Divali
evening 1976 at which Professor Ken Julien gave the Feature Address.
This past year I have served as President of the GSTT. During this year I think it is safe to say we have had more activi-
ties than any other year in the Society’s history. In most months we had more than one Technical Session (now called
Lunch and Learn). We also hosted the very successful Caribbean Geological Conference (only the third time it has been
held in Trinidad and Tobago) Attendance was excellent, this in spite of the brutal oil price climate. In addition to several
field trips and workshops, some of which were held in conjunction with the AAPG Student Chapter, we hosted two
rounds of the Imperial Barrel Awards for the AAPG. Regarding social events, we had recently a very successful Family
Day and by the time you read this we will have had our Annual All Fours Tournament with the SPE.
Noteworthy about all of these activities was the dominant role played by all of the “young ones” and the relatively
small part I played in many of these activities. I keep remembering Mr. Birchwood and his sense of guilt and the re-
minders we had been giving him about his role as the “elder statesman” so to speak. And I keep saying to myself
“Krishna, no need to feel guilty. You have your role and they have theirs. Your role is to look Presidential”. The trouble
is that in spite of it all I do feel as if I should be doing more and really do not feel like an “elder statesman” and am sure
I do not look ”Presidential”. Just take a look at the portrait I did of Ken showing his “Presidential mien” compared to the
self-portrait of me, which looks almost irreverent.

But having said that I am extremely grateful to all of the

“young ones” who have made this year undoubtedly one of
the most successful years (if not THE most successful) in the
history of the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago. I
will not try to name them all here. YOU, the members know
who they are, as they also do. I must not forget the excellent
role played by our Secretariat Mr. Keston Brown, who has
grown into his role very well.
To all of you “young ones” I say THANK YOU, THANK YOU,
THANK YOU.

Dr. Krishna Persad (GSTT President 2014-2015)

OCTOBER 2015 I 3
The GSTT will conduct annual elections at the Annual General Meeting on October 27th, 2015 at the Normandie Hotel
St. Ann's. The positions of President Elect, Treasurer and four Directors are available for nomination. Nomination forms
can be downloaded at: http://www.thegstt.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/GSTT-AGM-Nomination-Form-2015.xlsx
Financial Members are asked to kindly submit your nomination form to the GSTT Secretariat (thegstt@gmail.com) no
later than October 16th, 2015.
We look forward to another successful Elections and wish the incoming GSTT Board all the best!

OCTOBER 2015 I 4
 GSTT Family Day!!
Reshma Maharaj, GSTT Event Coordinator - Family Day

Thank you to all our members who attended the family day that was
held on the 15th August at the Valencia Nature Centre. The venue
was selected for its beautiful, well-kept surroundings, various activi-
ties and convenient kitchen areas…and what fun would it be without
a hike or nature walk for our Geo’s! It was a relaxing day with great
company, delicious food and fun activities.
I send a special thanks to members, family and friends who assisted
us in making this, an event to remember!!!
Please visit our Facebook page for more photos of the event.
GSTT executives (from left): Ron Daniel, Krishna Persad,
Let us know where you would like to go next year!!! Reshma Maharaj, Keston Brown

Kim Gillezeau, GSTT Incoming President, Mng. PGL at Petrotrin

The GSTT Family day was well organized, fun and very interest-
ing… especially for those who attended the nature walk and visited
the waterfall. The natural setting and spacious grounds allowed us to
enjoy time with family, friends and colleagues in a relaxing environ-
ment. I greatly appreciate all those who worked to afford us this ex-
perience.

Richard Hilaire, GSTT Member, Geologist at Petrotrin

The overnight rain did not dampen the fifty-odd GSTT members,
Members and their families enjoying food, drinks, music &
and their families from attending the Annual Family Day. The day
cards.
started at 10 am with a 20-minute hike through the nature reserve to
the Mora Falls, where our guide, Mr. De Freitas educated us on the
multiplicity of vegetation along the trail, and its usefulness. During
which a delightful lunch was prepared at the park facilities by some
of our fellow members. A relaxing evening ensued, where some
swung in the hammocks, others played cards and the brave few en-
joyed the trills of horseback riding.

Lonella Lovell, GSTT member, Geologist, MEEA

This was my first GSTT family day and it was a fulfilled day. I will
definitely do this again. The venue was great; it really gave that out- The kids enjoyed the horse riding.
doorsy feel that we geos are so drawn to. Good company, good food, Photos Courtesy Sanatan Roop-Persad
fun hike, what more can you ask for, lol.... I can definitely see my-
self attending another. Compiled by Reshma D. Maharaj
GSTT Director

OCTOBER 2015 I 5
 AAPG Latin America Region Student Chapter & Young Professionals
Leadership Summit
by Amrit Coobalal of the AAPG UWI STA Student Chapter

On the 3rd September 2015, I, Amrit Cooblal, departed from the Piarco International Airport to represent the Trinidad
and Tobago’s American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) Student Chapter (SC) as former President. I ar-
rived safely in Bucaramanga after approximately six hours of travelling which included connecting flights at Avenida
Domingo Diaz, Panama and Bogota, Colombia. The highly anticipated leadership summit was now upon me and a
brand new experience was about to begin. The leadership summit, which ran from the 4 th to 7th September, prom-
ised many great learning experiences as well as the formation of new bonds amongst my fellow Latin America Chap-
ter leader counterparts. My major learning outcomes via technical lectures as well as development and professional
sessions were:
 Benefits of being an AAPG member
 Ways to improve the Student Chapter
 Transitioning from Student Chapter to Young Professionals
 What makes a good leader
 Professionalism, Ethical behaviour & Career Development
 How to handle the low oil prices

Perhaps the best way to begin examining my learning outcomes would be to highlight the benefits of being an AAPG
member. Student members have the opportunity to attend international and local conferences free of charge, pro-
vided that they volunteer at the AAPG stands/booths. They also can work in the AAPG Store which can help bring
money to their chapters. Some students are also applicable to receive grants based on research being done. Another
huge benefit to all student members would be access to world class publications via the AAPG Bulletin, Search & Dis-
covery and Datapages. This has already been very helpful to me in my research for my undergraduate studies. Bene-
fits regarding the chapter as a whole include the receiving of grants based on proper proposals, lecturer programs
whereby distinguished lecturers can give talks at your university, receiving of books via donations or book gift pro-
grams and monetary prizes by winning AAPG competitions such as the YouTube video contest, Wiki Write Off and
Imperial Barrel Award (IBA). The IBA in particular opens doors which few accomplishments can, for the individuals
who can call themselves IBA winners. It’s a beneficial competition which requires great teamwork skills in order to

OCTOBER 2015 I 6
propose a well, based on an integrated approach on the dataset given. The final major benefit would be for those who
have just graduated and are seeking a job. The AAPG Career Centre provides an avenue for the individual to upload
their resume and seek job opportunities while student expos and networking opportunities provide these individuals
with the chance to meet and interact with persons in the industry.
One of the biggest parts of the packed
schedule was the presentations of Student
Chapter activities by each Chapter repre-
sentative present at the summit. This was
done over the two days of the summit as a
total of 19 presentations, each ranging from
10-15 minutes, were conducted. It was
huge learning experience for me to see how
the T&T AAPG SC can improve as I watched
the other 18 presentations. My first major
observation was the passion these students
had for geology and it definitely transcend-
ed into their chapter’s annual activities.
Well thought out competitions sparked ide-
as in my mind as I saw a geological photo-
graph competition done by one chapter
Amrit Cooblal (Immediate Past President of AAPG UWI STA Studnt Chapter
whereby students of the chapter try to take
shares his Chapter’s activities and achievements at the Leadership Summit.
their best photos of the country’s geology.
Field trips and technical talks were abundant and almost the norm activities to be performed. Many of the chapters
were also heavily involved in AAPG sanctioned competitions which include a YouTube video contest as well as a Wiki
Write Off, both of which I was unaware of before attending this event. Thus it is definitely something the current and
future SC Executives can initiate in our chapter. Another impressive feature seen was the proper establishment of a
student chapter website which provides an alternative and more widespread avenue to promote the activities as com-
pared to a Facebook page or group. Finally, the networking of some chapter leaders was quite impressive. These indi-
viduals carried and distributed call cards which contained all the necessary chapter information such as Faculty Advisor,
phone contacts, SC email-address and SC website. This is definitely an excellent tool to be adopted by our chapter in
order to network the group at the numerous geological sessions and events our students are exposed to.

Lizbeth Calizaya, the AAPG Latin America & Caribbean Region Student Chapter Liason, presented an excellent talk on
how to transition from the Student Chapter to the Young Professionals Chapter. She made note of the individual mem-
bership now being self-funded, but indicated that companies do provide sponsorship for these memberships. As a
graduate, it can be easy to fall into that unsure state due to the job availabilities, but being a YP keeps the individual
involved with the AAPG and continued networking and friendships will be constructed. I see this very important to Trin-
idad & Tobago as at the time of writing this report, we are yet to have an established YP Chapter. As now a former
President of the of SC, I will gladly take the responsibility to help transition all current final year undergraduate stu-
dents into becoming YP’s within the upcoming year. After a year of working experience, some of us can then even find
ourselves in the YP Executive which will be crucial for the continued development of the YP Chapter in our country. This
is so because it can provide the best connection with the SC as we will be familiar with those in charge of the SC, which
creates a constant transitioning of students to YP’s over time.
My major learning outcomes thus far have been how the AAPG directly benefits and influences the students of our

OCTOBER 2015 I 7
Chapter. In addition to this, I was also fortunate to take away great personal development skills. Tips on what makes a
good leader were provided from personal experiences of Flover Rodriguez, AAPG International Vice-Chair. He first out-
lined what leadership is not about and listed the following:

Leadership does not include anything with seniority or position in a company.

Leadership has nothing to do with titles.
Leadership has nothing to do with personal attributes.
Leadership isn’t management.

Flover stated a combination of access to funds, relationships with people and an understanding of market conditions all
packaged by a drive, purpose or belief leads to being a successful leader. When you have this passion in fulfilling some
dream, others who believe what you believe will work with blood, sweat and tears for you. Leadership was then de-
fined as the process of social influence which maximizes the efforts of others toward the achievement of a greater
good. Leadership is a not something that is given to you but it is earned and claimed for oneself.
”If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” – John Quincy
Adams
The President of the AAPG, John Hogg, provided a relevant talk for how important professionalism and ethical behav-
iour is to us future geoscientists. He outlined the key components that lead to professionalism. They are:
 Integrity- a firm adherence to a code of values
 Competence – product of education, training and experience
 Honesty – fairness and straightforwardness of conduct, a refusal to
lie or steal
 Ethics – discipline of right and wrong
 Attitude – commitment to hard work, to achieve and maintain con-
fidence
 Trustworthy – worthy of confidence, dependable, avoid conflicts of
interest
 Responsible – answer for your own actions
 Loyalty – faithful to a course, who and what you have allegiance to
 Initiative – take charge, show energy to perform an action
 Candor – freedom from prejudice
 Confidence – believe in yourself
 Constant growth – keep learning and improving of skills
 Diligence – commitment to hard work
 Respect – being polite, kind and considerate
 Enthusiasm – strong feeling of excitement
Ethical behaviour was also mentioned. It can be defined as doing the right
thing when no one is looking even though the wrong thing is legal. All Amrit Cooblal (left) alongside the AAPG
this leads to you as a professional to be able to conduct yourself in your President, John Hogg (right)
company in such a manner whereby you won’t be involved in any nega-
tive or embarrassing situation as this can blacklist your name in the entire industry. Mr. Hogg concluded by giving ca-
reer development tips. Basically, you must be passionate about your career, be ready to keep learning throughout
your life from good and bad experiences, know where you want to take to your career as it is unlikely you will have the
same role throughout your life and finally, take every chance to improve weaknesses and even get outside your com-
fort zone.
OCTOBER 2015 I 8
This was personally my favourite presentation at the summit. Richard Ball, geologist at Chevron, presented leader-
ship tips as well as ways to improve yourself in order to stand out to companies. Although he delivered his talk via an
online call, his enthusiasm and passion was well translated to everyone in the room. His leadership lessons were to
always keep your vision in mind despite things never going to plan at times and to just keep things simple. Standing
out generally involves the individual to keep in mind that only you can change and control what you are involved in.
The last major point of note was never to think that you are entitled to anything but you must always work for what
you want.

The final and perhaps biggest learning outcome from this talk was how should we students deal with these low oil
prices. This was interlinked that there will be a steady demand for geoscientists over the next 30 years as 130,000 are
set to retire by 2021. The presenter, Mr. Victor Ramirez, made reference to the cyclic nature of oil and how each has
lasted about 7-10 years on average. Thus, during this most recent low, he encouraged students and even young pro-
fessionals to:

 Stay involved in societies, Volunteer for committees, Enrol in postgrad studies, Stay connected with the
AAPG, Participate in IBA, Build a strong network and stay connected, Remain competitive by gaining new
skills, Be technically strong and grow scientifically & Find and follow your passion

In summary, despite the challenges of the language barrier I made the most of this opportunity to travel to Colombia
and be part of a fun, learning and interactive leadership summit, that has truly improved me as an individual and
helped me see ways in which our growing AAPG SC can become more even established. The friendships I made will
go a long way in my personal development as well as the improvement of our Student Chapter. I would like to take
this opportunity to thank firstly the Geological Society of Trinidad & Tobago for sponsoring my airfare to and from
Colombia. Secondly, the AAPG LACR Leadership Team and Organizing Committee for providing me with this amazing
opportunity to attend and repre-
sent my country, Trinidad & To-
bago, and by extension the Car-
ibbean Region at this Leadership
Summit. Huge credit must also
be given to the AAPG LACR Or-
ganizing Committee as they suc-
cessfully pulled off a greatly ben-
eficial event. I have returned
from this summit, an improved
individual and leader, as well as
having an increased desire and
passion to stay involved with the
AAPG, by lending assistance and
advice to the new executive of
the SC in addition to becoming
Group photo of all AAPG LACR
involved in the growing YP Chapter. I have renewed hope of how to adapt
Leadership Summit participants
myself to these low oil prices and I feel more confident and excited for the
future. Perhaps a larger role within the AAPG at some point? It’s a dream that I would love to work towards, as a
form of giving back to an organization which has provided me with so much in such a short space of time.

OCTOBER 2015 I 9
 Central Range Fault Geophysical Observatory
Proposal Submitted to the Society of Economic Geophysicists, Geoscientists
Without Borders Program

Seeding the Building and Maintenance of a Central Range Fault Geophysical

Observatory, Trinidad

John Weber (Grand Valley State University, Department of Geology) in collaboration

with The University of The West Indies-Seismic Research Centre

Abstract
Topographic map of Central Trinidad highlighting the Central Range Fault
The damage and destruction caused
by the M7 January 12, 2010 Haiti
earthquake has brought heightened
awareness of the potential vulnerabil-
ity of the islands and nations situated
along the active faults that border the
entire Caribbean plate. The Caribbean
island of Trinidad is a densely populat-
ed, major regional industrial center
with a significant oil and gas industry,
onshore and offshore, and is covered
by a large petroleum and societal in-
frastructure. The seismic potential of
Trinidad’s plate boundary transform,
the Central Range Fault, (12±3 mm/yr
of strike-slip motion), and how much locked strain is being accumulated remain important open questions (Weber et
al. 2001, 2011; Churches et al. 2014; Prentice et al. 2010). Answers to these questions are necessary to determine
seismic risk and make hazard estimates. To address these questions, PI Weber proposes to collaborate with The Uni-
versity of the West Indies Seismic Research Center (UWI-SRC) staff and GVSU undergraduate research students, over
a two-year period, to begin building and streaming data from a U.S. Plate Boundary Observatory-type Central Range
Fault Geophysical Observatory (CRFGO) along 2-3 transects crossing the Central Range Fault (CRF). During Phase 1,
we will build and start monitoring near-field creep via simple EDM creep arrays and microseismometers. During
Phase 2, we will build near-field continuous GPS stations, and install higher fidelity seismometers, and eventually
(Phase 2+) creep meters, and strain meters. All data will be streamed (via telemetry or internet) to UWI-SRC for stor-
age and eventual routine processing, compared with existing far-field GPS data, interpreted, published, and dissemi-
nated for use in shaping public policy. We will help turn this earthquake science data into policy by interfacing with
the government authorities and oil and gas industry in Trinidad and Tobago, from whom we will also seek funds to
match and exceed SEG- GWB funding.

OCTOBER 2015 I 10
 GSTT AAPG Wellsite Visit - La Fortune Anticline,
Oropouche Oilfield by Amrit Cooblal, Brendon Mohammed (AAPG SC UWI STA)

Trip Leader: Mr. Xavier Moonan (Treasurer - AAPG Latin America & Caribbean, GSTT Immediate Past President, Senior
Geologist at Centrica Energy)

On 4th and 19th July 2015, members of The AAPG Student Chapter University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine
(Trinidad), along with students from UWI Mona (Jamaica) and University of Trinidad & Tobago (UTT), embarked on a
planned wellsite visit to an active onshore drilling rig at the La Fortune Anticline within the Oropouche Oilfield, Trini-
dad. As of 2007 the Oropouche Oilfield is operated by API Petroleum Company Ltd under a Farmout Agreement with
state owned oil company Petrotrin. API Petroleum has since jointly acquired 3D Seismic data across the Oropouche
Oilfield with Petrotrin and has embarked
on a drilling campaign. Director of API
OAS Marl Quarry
Petroleum, Mr. Fawwaaz Hosein stated
that API Petroleum is establishing itself as
a model independent onshore oil produc-
tion company in Trinidad & Tobago, to
pursue aggressive production targets by
increasing efficiency, conducting explora-
tion, adapting cutting-edge methods and
technology and recruiting personnel with
an exploration appetite. Mr. Hosein was
delighted to host The AAPG Student
Chapter Wellsite Visit, stating that it was
an excellent opportunity for students to
understand the many moving parts of the
oilfield, and the spectrum of challenges
faced, apart from geological, in the
AO-116 being drilled at the LA Fortune Anticline, (courtesy API Petroleum)
search for oil.
API Petroleum contracted rig services from Sadhna Petroleum Services Company Ltd, a local service company thrilled
to encourage the next generation explorationists to be exposed to drilling operations.
The trip leader, Xavier Moonan, current Treasurer for AAPG Latin America & Caribbean Region, and Immediate Past
President of the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago (GSTT), gave attendees insight into: Geology of the Nariva
Fold and Thrust Belt, Geology of the La Fortune Anticline, Seismic Interpretation, HSE awareness, Drilling Operations,
Mudlogging & Wellsite Geology.

Logging data from the wells being drilled AO-117 and AO-118 was made available to the students to view, interpret and
correlate with surrounding wells. For most attendees this was the first time viewing raw logging data. After viewing the
data a brief overview of the geology of the Early Miocene Retrench sandstones, the primary reservoir for the

OCTOBER 2015 I 11
Oropouche oilfield was discussed. Attendees learnt that the Early Miocene Retrench sandstones were deposited as
deep water turbidites in the Trinidad area. At the time of deposition, numerous SW-NE trending folds were forming
due to south easterly directed oblique collision of the Caribbean Plate with the northern margin of South America. The
oblique collision uplifted much of Trinidad’s Northern Ranges and the Coastal Ranges of Venezuela, generating a nar-
row unstable shelf which periodically collapsed, sourcing the Retrench turbidite reservoirs. The group was shown
structure maps and net oil sand maps for the WSW-ENE trending La Fortune Anticline, with API Consultants Shiraz
‘Murf’ Rajab, and Victor Young On, pointing out the numerous thrust faults and associated tear faults that occur with-
in the Oropouche oilfield. Mr. Young On stated that even after drilling 118 wells in this field, new reservoirs and new
thrust faults are still being encountered.

An HSE orientation was then performed

and attendees proceeded to the well site.
Here, attendees were able to communicate
with Mud Engineers, Drilling Engineers,
Operation Managers and observe their rou-
2D Seismic Line through the La Fortune Anticline (Samsoondar et al, 2015) with Sur- tine work on an active drilling rig.
face Geology Map (Kugler,1959)
Attendees gathered at the ‘Dog House’ and
jointly the driller and Mr. Moonan explained the operations occurring on the rig floor. After witnessing pipe tripping,
and a directional survey, a thorough explanation and viewing of the mud circulating system was conducted. Baroid
Mud Engineer, Mr. Zephrine Tristan explained the role of the centrifuge and the physical addition of barite as key pro-
cesses in altering the mud weight, which is crucial in maintaining wellbore stability and keeping back reservoir pres-
sures. Attendees witnessed the use of the Mud balance to calculate mud weight. Participants collected drill cuttings at
the shale shakers and were taught the importance of lag-time to calculate the depth from which the rock cutting origi-
nated. Attendees viewed the mud pumps and their associated sensors and were told of the effect of increasing and
decreasing the flow rate.

After leaving API Petroleum and Sadhna Petroleum Services Company limited attendees accompanied were led by Mr.
Moonan to the OAS Marl Quarry at the La Fortune Anticline. This visit was also planned for the July 19 th trip however
the inclement weather made the outcrop inaccessible. The outcrops were composed of over 95% marl. punctuated by
thin layers of clay. Here, features of the structures of the area specifically the complex folding of the anticline were
noted. Attendees gained insight into distinguishing between tectonic and sediment deformation as well identifying
folds, thrust faults, fault gouge/zones at an outcrop level. The complex faulting observed at the outcrop can be used
perfectly as an analogue for the larger structures being tested by the drill bit by API Petroleum.
Ultimately, for all the students who attended both these trips, they were able to get firsthand experience of life on a
drilling rig which far superseded the classroom theory on drilling rig operations.

OCTOBER 2015 I 12
 Attendees and AAPG members at the API Petroleum and Sadhna Petrole-
um Services Company Limited wellsite, July 4th.

Attendees and AAPG members at the API Petroleum Limited and Sadhna Petroleum Services Company Limited wellsite, July 19 th,
Amrit Cooblal (leftmost, former President of the AAPG SC) and Xavier Moonan (rightmost, Trip Leader).

OCTOBER 2015 I 13
 The OAS Marl Quarry,
La Fortune Anticline,
Woodland Trinidad

Students looking at the folded and faulted

marl units at the OAS Quarry

(from left to right) Xavier Moonan,

Brendon Mohammed (AAPG SC for-
mer Vice President accompanied by
AAPG members at the OAS Quarry.

OCTOBER 2015 I 14
API Petroleum Limited, in pursuing and supporting continued geological research has since donated drill cuttings from
these wells (AO-116, AO-117 & AO-118) to the GSTT and the University of the West Indies. In particular, API Petrole-
um Subsurface Intern, Mr. Stefon Harrypersad is currently examining these drill cuttings as part of his analysis of the
Retrench turbidites towards his final year thesis titled ‘Subsurface mapping of the Early Miocene Retrench Sands of
the Oropouche Oilfield’, for his BSc. Geology (UWI, Mona Jamaica).
The AAPG Student Chapter wishes to sincerely thank API Petroleum Limited for facilitating these rig visits, allowing
students to gain hands-on wellsite experience. The AAPG SC, AAPG Latin America & Caribbean and the GSTT recog-
nize the invaluable experience provided by API Petroleum Limited and are hopeful that many other companies within
Trinidad & Tobago and the region will provide similar opportunities for students in the future.
We wish to also thank Sadhna Petroleum Services Limited, the AAPG Latin America & Caribbean Region, the GSTT and
Trip Leader Xavier Moonan for hosting and coordinating these fantastic wellsite visits. As geoscience students it was a
most fulfilling experience and a major milestone in our petroleum geoscience careers.
Attendees:
Amrit Cooblal, Brendon Mohammed, Stefon Harrypersad, Ibraheem Ali, Vanita Dalipram, Kami Allong, Zain Ramsingh,
Tanuja Balkeran, Deborah Ramnath, Jonathan Ramnath, Luther Henry, Andrew Grant, Sherill Belfon, Danielle Belfon,
Afia Boney, Richard Coutou.

PEOPLE POWER - Congratulations Richard!!

Richard Hilaire (richard.hilaire@petrotrin,com)

Richard’s 25-year career in the oil industry started after he left Presentation College,
San Fernando in 1990, and joined TRINMAR LTD as a Production Operator. He then
moved to the Geological Department as a Technologist where his enthusiasm for Geolo-
gy was nurtured by many Geoscientists within the team. In 2011, Richard decided to
pursue his dream of becoming a Geologist and enrolled in the Bachelor of Science pro-
gram at Florida International University (FIU). FIU is a public research University that
was founded in 1972, and belongs to the 12-campus State University System of Florida.
It is the 2nd largest university in Florida, and the 4th largest in the United States. FIU is
also the headquarters for The National Hurricane Center, a U.S. federal organization
under The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Geological
Society of Trinidad and Tobago supported Richard’s passion to pursue a Geology degree and granted him a GSTT Bursary.

Richard graduated Magna Cum Laude from FIU in May 2015, with a GPA of 3.89. He made the Dean’s list in spring of 2014, fall of
2014 and once again in spring 2015. He was awarded ‘The Most Outstanding Geoscience Student’ by the Earth and Environment
Faculty. Richard’s most noteworthy experience at FIU was his geological field trip to Death Valley National Park Nevada, where he
visited places like: Round Mountain open pit gold mine, Ubehebe Volcanic Crater, Badwater Basin the lowest point in the western
hemisphere 282ft below sea level, Aguereberry and Zabriskie points 7000ft above sea level, Split Cinder Cone volcano and one of
the famous Metamorphic Core Complexes Copper Canyon Turtleback. Also, as faith would have it,one of his main Professors
Dr.Grenville Draper actually lectured at UWI Mona Campus to most of the senior Geologists currently employed at Petrotrin.

OCTOBER 2015 I 15
 Deep Sea Exploration for Marine Mineral Resources
New Insights and Developments by Kevin Tankoo (UWI Mona Jamaica)

Deep-sea exploration for mineral resources has been of interest to the international community for quite some time
with recent developments driving a renewed focus on the recovery and processing of these deposits. Over the last dec-
ade advances in the geological and geophysical knowledge of the seabed along with technological developments for
the exploitation of these solid mineral resources promise significant economic returns and valuable additions to the
global resource base. Probable deep-sea minerals may include metals such as manganese, nickel, copper, cobalt, plati-
num, gold, silver, zinc, lead, tin, titanium, niobium etc. These minerals can be commercially recovered in polymetallic
nodules, ferromanganese crusts, polymetallic sulphides as well as placer deposits and holds the focus of ongoing explo-
ration campaigns (Figure 1). The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has developed an extensive framework govern-
ing exploration activity of these marine mineral resources.

Figure 1- Generalized global map showing the distribution of marine mineral deposits including polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich
ferromanganese crusts and polymetallic sulphides (Usui, 2010)

Polymetallic manganese nodules are one of the deep ocean mineral resources which have generated interest from
multiple contractors and continue to drive the exploration phase. Manganese nodules are spherical or elliptical clumps
of iron and manganese hydroxides on the seafloor. They are found at almost all depths and latitudes in all the oceans
of the world. It is estimated that these deposits cover approximately 10 – 30 % of the deep ocean floor. Polymetallic
manganese nodules are typically found half-buried in comparatively flat deep-sea sediment at a depth of 4,000-6,000
meters (Figure 2a). The general structure of these mineral resources is spherical or oval typically 2 cm to 15 cm in di-
ameter (Figure 2b). The main constituents are ferromanganese oxides, typically accompanied by a considerable
amount of nickel, copper and cobalt. Manganese nodules were discovered in 1868 in the Arctic Ocean and since the
1960’s developed countries have focused on the importance of manganese nodules as non-ferrous metal resources.

Another mineral resource which shows economic potential is cobalt-rich crusts or ferromanganese crusts. These crusts
are composed of ferromanganese oxides covering the bedrock with a thickness of several mm to tens of cm. Cobalt-
rich ferromanganese crusts cover the slope or top of seamounts like asphalt at a depth of 800-2,400 meters (Figure
3a). The average cobalt content of this crust is three times as great as manganese nodules, and it sometimes contain
ore-grade platinum. They are typically distributed in smaller areas compared to manganese nodules where thicker
crusts are found on shoulders and summits of seamounts. The surface structures are similar to manganese nodules and
the noticeable layering structure does not show cyclic change (Figure 3b). These deposits contain useful elements such
as cobalt, manganese, nickel, platinum etc. Polymetallic nodules were initially found at Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean off
OCTOBER 2015 I 16
 Figure 2 (a & b) - a) Image of seafloor showing polymetallic nodule field as seen from ROV in the Indian Ocean at approximately
4500m deep (MNHN 2013); b) Polymetallic nodule sample retrieved from the ocean floor in south-west Pacific. Nodule contains
nickel, copper and manganese

Siberia (1868); this was followed by the Challenger Expedition (1872-1876) which was a scientific cruise for natural his-
tory and chemistry by the Royal Society of London, England. The vessel travelled nearly 70,000 nm (130,000 km) sur-
veying and exploring where 4,000 new marine animals were discovered (ISA, 2014).

Figure 3 (a & b) - a) Photograph of ferromanganese crust deposits on the seafloor at approximately at 2200 m possibly eroded from
the flank of a seamount based on analysis of growth structure from cut section; b) Cut and polished section of ferromanganese
crust retrieved by ROV from exploration campaign- multiple layers visible including the outer rough crust, detritus rich layer and
substrate rock

Polymetallic sulphides were first noticed in 1948 during the Swedish Albatross oceanographic expedition in the Red
Sea. These marine resources were also later identified in 1979, on the East Pacific Rise near to Baja California (Mexico),
scientists exploring the ocean floor discovered chimney-like formations of dark rock on sulphide mounds, spewing hot
water and surrounded by relatively unknown animal species. Since then, studies have shown that these black-smoker
complexes are an outgrowth of the formation of new oceanic crust through seafloor spreading as the tectonic plates

OCTOBER 2015 I 17
 underlying the earth’s surface converge or move apart (ISA, 2014). Moreover, this activity is intimately associated
with the generation of metallic mineral deposits at the seafloor. At water depths up to 3,700 meters, hydrothermal
fluids, having seeped from the ocean into subterranean chambers where they are heated by the molten rock
(magma) beneath the crust, are discharged from the black smokers at temperatures up to 400° Celsius. As these flu-
ids mix with the cold surrounding seawater, metal sulphides in the water are precipitated onto the chimneys and
nearby seabed (Figure 4). These sulphides, including galena (lead), sphalerite (zinc) and chalcopyrite (copper), accu-
mulate at and just below the seafloor, where they form massive deposits that can range from several thousands to
about 100 million tons. High concentrations of base metals (copper, zinc, lead) and especially precious metals (gold,
silver) in some of these massive sulphide deposits have recently attracted the interest of the international mining
industry. Many polymetallic sulphide deposits are also found at sites that are no longer volcanically active (SPC 2013).
The largest black smoker discovered to date measure almost 45 metres high and occurred on the Juan de Fuca Ridge.
Following destruction, chimneys have been measured to grow as fast as 30 centimetres per day. The biggest chim-
neys are generally found on slow spreading ridges (Mid-Atlantic Ridge). On fast spreading ridges like the East Pacific
Rise, chimneys are rarely more than 15 metres high (SPC 2013).

Figure 4- Inactive polymetallic sulphide slot on the ocean floor of the Indian Ocean (BGR, 2015)

The geology behind the development of these mineral deposits is quite complex and requires detailed sampling and
analytical studies. Sampling and on-board analysis of mineral deposits is necessary in mapping and evaluating con-
tracted areas and developing targets. The geophysical acquisition technology continues to be developed to include
more advanced mapping tools, sonar equipment and complex bathymetric surveys. The exploration of marine miner-
als is dependent on sound geological investigations on the abundance and distribution of deposits, detailed high res-
olution geophysical data as well as advanced technologies in sampling and analysis. Overall deep-sea mineral explo-
ration campaigns have been plagued with multiple issues and draw-backs including cost of exploration, environmen-
tal degradation concerns, effect on fisheries, limited mining technologies and even complications with refining and
dressing processes. Some countries are actively developing more advanced seabed mining tools and testing programs
which has shown good potential for the next phase of this industry. A detailed insight into the exploration and sam-
pling techniques from an ongoing campaign within a contracted area will be provided in a future article.

OCTOBER 2015 I 18
OCTOBER 2015 I 19
 GSTT AAPG Core Workshop by Zain Ramsingh (AAPG SC UWI STA)

On 8th September 2015, members of the AAPG Student Chapter UWI STA, along with individuals from the Ministry of
Energy and Energy Affairs and state-owned oil company Petrotrin, embarked to attend a core workshop hosted by
Centrica Energy at Weatherford Labs at LP#7, Guayamare Link Road Uriah Butler Highway, Charlieville, Chaguanas.
The workshop was led by the Subsurface Team of Centrica Energy including Subsurface Manager Vishal Nagassar,
Sedimentologist Richard Coutou and Geologists Xavier Moonan and Roger Kimber.

The workshop provided attendees with

insight into: Geology of the North Coast
Marine Area, Seismic Interpretation,
Process of Mapping a Basal Sand Pro-
spect, Geology of NCMA-4 and Block-22
in the North Coast Marine Area, Devel-
opment of Gross Depositional Environ-
ment, Process of Obtaining Cores, Core
Description & Preservation, Utilization of
New Technology in Obtaining of Data
from Cores, Petrophysical Analysis of
wells within NCMA & Petrological analy-
sis of Thin Sections

Upon arrival at the conference room at Weatherford Core Lab Manager - Mr Rooplal Sooknanan greets the core work-
Weatherford labs, an HSE orientation shop attendees and conducts HSE orientation
was performed after which attendees
were introduced to an overview of Centrica’s efforts to map the Basal Sand. The Basal Sand is considered the lower-
most sand within the Pliocene-Miocene siliciclastic sequence which sits atop volcanic or metamorphic basement. The
Basal Sands were found gas-bearing in the Orchid gas discovery drilled during the 1970’s. Since then Centrica Energy
acquired full 3D seismic over the basin identifying further prospects similar to the Orchid discovery. Attendees were
able to view seismic sections
from both reflectivity and in-
version (LambdaRho) datasets.
They were also shown struc-
ture maps of the basement at
NCMA-4 and Block-22, as well
RMS and Minimum Amplitude
extraction maps of the Basal
Sand prospects.

Attendees and AAPG Members

from UWI STA viewing cores tak-
en at Marianne River explained
by Vishal Nagassar (rightmost
foreground).

OCTOBER 2015 I 20
It was well established that due to the lack of core data from the Orchid discovery and vintage electric logs, there was a
dire need to seek out a modern day analogue to better understand the reservoir variability of a Basal Sand. The Subsur-
face Team introduced the attendees to some innovative sediment coring techniques which were implemented to ac-
quire the Marianne River cores on the north coast of Trinidad. Participants also learnt of the technique involved in ac-
quiring Jumbo Piston cores, which Centrica implemented along their Pipeline Route, off the northern coast of Tobago,
from south west Tobago to the Cassra gas discovery in Block-22. Analysis on sidewall cores and drill cuttings from the
recently drilled Iris-1 and Cassra-2 wells were also discussed.

After the presentation by the Attendees and AAPG Members from UWI STA listening to Richard Coutou’s explana-
Subsurface Team, attendees were tion of the Jumbo Piston Cores.
split into two groups and taken to
two core rooms at Weatherford.
The first group, led by Xavier
Moonan and Richard Coutou, in-
troduced participants to the Pipe-
line Route Jumbo Piston Cores
taken north of Tobago as well as
some segments of the Iris-1 Core.
Participants were allowed to
touch and examine the Jumbo
Piston cores and two hand lenses
were also provided for further
scrutiny. Segments of the Iris cores
Centrica Geologist Roger Kimber explains the petrology of the Marianne River Cores were also observed along with the
CT scans done on these segments.
It was specified that these scans
were done as a measure of preser-
vation of the internal structures of
these cores. Participants observed
that the Jumbo Piston cores provid-
ed insight into the sedimentation
along the current shelf, slope and
basin floor setting. A marked
change in grain size, texture, com-
position and sorting were noted as
one observed the profile. A present
day turbidite sand deposit with its
sharp erosional base was observed
in the deep water cores. The Iris-1 cores generally demonstrated a series of stacked deep water sandy turbidite depos-
its with relative variation in sand concentration from one turbidite sand to the other.

At the second core room, led by Vishal Nagassar and Roger Kimber, attendees were allowed to view the beach/
shoreface Marianne River cores and the Cassra-1 and Cassra-3X full hole cores. The differing grain sizes of the dynamic
environment from which the cores were taken were evident. These cores demonstrated the variation in grain size, tex-
ture and composition within a shelfal environment.

Lunch was then served, after which attendees were shown how the sedimentological and petrological data collected
from the present day cores, the side wall cores and drill cuttings from the Iris and Cassra wells were integrated with
seismic interpretation to develop the gross depositional environment of the Basal Sands. It was further demonstrated
that Basal Sand exploration prospects such as Chillibibi is analogous to the Orchid discovery and will have a similar

OCTOBER 2015 I 21
 depositional framework.
Ultimately, for the UWI STA students in particular, the workshop was very beneficial as most students had never seen
a core nor have had the opportunity to view CT scans used in core description and interpretation. The experience
also exposed many individuals to the geology of the North Coast Marine Area, and the Basal Sand Prospects within
this dynamic basin. Most significantly, students now understand and appreciate the importance or core in geological
evaluation and the use of modern depositional analogues in the absence of data.

Xavier Moonan (leftmost) accompanied by AAPG Members of UWI STA at Weatherford Labs, 7 th September 2015.

OCTOBER 2015 I 22
OCTOBER 2015 I 23
OCTOBER 2015 I 24
Investigation of Lithospheric Deep Structure of the Caribbean Region
James, K. H., Lead Scientist, N. Amelin, CEO, and L. Miles, Interpretation Manager, Geology Without Limits,

Caribbean geology remains enigmatic. Most literature describes an oceanic

origin of the area in the Jurassic Pacific, followed by Late Cretaceous oceanic
plateau thickening above a hot spot/mantle plume, collision with an intra-
oceanic volcanic arc and subduction polarity reversal, then Late Cretaceous to
Recent engulfment by the westward-migrating Americas.
In this complex history, continental fragments of southern Mexico and northwestern S America, carrying ancient zir-
cons, were subducted and metamorphosed, later to resurface during arc-parallel extension. Arc activity ceased dur-
ing Middle Eocene collision along the northern and southern plate boundaries and rocks were accreted to the Great-
er and Leeward Antilles. The Yucatan and Grenada back-arc basins opened as plate boundaries jumped from Cuba to
the Cayman Trough and from the Aves Ridge to the Lesser Antilles. Subduction continues below northwestern S
America, the Greater Antilles (to the north and south) and the Lesser Antilles (the remaining active part of the arc).
Crust as thick as 20 km in the Venezuela and Colombia basins represents the oceanic plateau, which is capped by up-
per Cretaceous basalts.
An alternative view is that the Caribbean formed, along with the Yucatan and Grenada basins and the Gulf of Mexico,
simply by intra-continental extension between N and S America. Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico formed by Middle
Eocene northward thrusting of volcanic and “oceanic” rocks onto the continental basement of the Bahamas. Mirror
image thrusting occurred along northern S America. Since then, west to east strike-slip has dominated these bounda-
ries, with eastward-migrating stress producing extensional subsidence followed by transpression, uplift and over-
thrusting. No subduction occurred here; ancient zircons indicate in-place continental basement.

Figure 1. Section over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, constructed by Van Avendonk et al., 2015.

It is anomalous that today, 50 years after the Pacific model surfaced along with Plate Tectonic theory, the origin of
the Caribbean, Yucatán and Grenada basins remains unknown, despite their lying between the well-explored Gulf of
Mexico and northern S America. This results in part from dominance of the Pacific paradigm, which focuses studies
and interpretations. Geographically dispersed geology, including poorly mapped areas (access, weathering), and lack
of regional data over the area’s interior are further problems.
Even in the Gulf of Mexico, deeper geological history is only now coming to light, as latest seismic techniques reveal
sub-salt architecture. A recently published section (Fig. 11) shows basinward evolution from rifted continent, with
salt, to extended continent and then oceanic crust. Seismic line ew9501/1293 (Fig. 22), recorded by Lamont Doherty
in 1995, shows similar architecture in the Caribbean interior. DSDP-drilled, upper Cretaceous basalt (seismic Horizon
B”) overlies underlying extended geology, which is not a 20 km thick oceanic plateau.

OCTOBER 2015 I 25
Salt diapirs are present, protected by cap rocks where they pierce the sea floor and locally rafting fragments of the bas-
alt layer. Similar geology is seen along N and S Atlantic margins. Comparison of line ew9501/1293 with seismic offshore
Brazil suggests interesting similarities.

Figure 2. Seismic line ew9501.1293, recorded by Lamont Doherty, Diebold et al., 1999; interpreted James, 2015.

This alternative suggests that the Yucatán, Colombia, Venezuela and Grenada basins share history with the Gulf of
Mexico. A simple and coherent model for Middle American evolution emerges.

Figure 3. Schematic illustrating use of free-floating seismobuoys.

Jurassic- and Cretaceous-sourced oils could be expected, along with Tertiary-sourced gas. Prospectiveness would be
much more positive (important for Caribbean nations) than that suggested by the Pacific model. Indeed, Jurassic oil
similar to Gulf of Mexico oil occurs on Jamaica. Cretaceous oil similar to Venezuelan crude is produced on Barbados
and has been sampled on Antigua and Saba.

OCTOBER 2015 I 26
It is important to note that the Caribbean interior (2,750,000 km2) is as well known today as the North Sea (750,000
km2) was in 1965. The seismic investigation to be launched in Q4 2015, conducted with the cutting-edge technology
GWL Seismobuoy® (Fig3), which extends seismic data offsets up to 150 km and builds reliable velocity models for
depths up to 40-45 km, will cover 46,000 km (Fig.4) and should resolve the long-standing debate on Caribbean plate
origins. Velocity and structural architecture should show whether the area is entirely oceanic or if it formed during con-
tinental extension.

Figure 4. The GWL Seismic program; commencing Q4, 2015.

Readers with questions are invited to address them to:

Keith James khj@aber.ac.uk.
Further articles available at kjgeology.com

References:
1
Van Avendonk, H. J. A., G. L. Christeson, I. O. Norton and D. R. Eddy, 2015, Continental rifting and sediment infill in the northwestern Gulf of
Mexico: Geology, v. 43, no. 7, p. 631-634.
2
Diebold, J., N. Driscoll and the EW-9501 Science Team, 1999, New insights on the formation of the Caribbean basalt province revealed by multi-
channel seismic images of volcanic structures in the Venezuelan Basin: IN: Mann, P. (ed.), Caribbean Sedimentary Basins, Sedimentary Basins of

OCTOBER 2015 I 27
Petrotrin’s 4C Ocean Bottom Cable 3D Seismic Acquisition,
Gulf of Paria, Trinidad and Tobago
Terrell Dhanpaul* and Samuel Ragbir*, Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago.

INTRODUCTION
The southern part of the Gulf of Paria located between Trinidad and Venezuela is home to some of the oldest offshore
producing oil fields in Trinidad. The earliest producing wells in Petrotrin’s Soldado fields are in excess of 60 years old.
For some time now, the fields have been in decline and are in much need of rejuvenation. This rejuvenation in part, is
expected to come in the form of more accurate mapping of existing structural and stratigraphic targets, as well as, the
identification of new prospects at deeper levels.
Petrotrin’s existing seismic data repository has outdated itself and ideally would not be suitable for the purpose for
field wide re-mapping. Pre-planning reconnaissance work began back in mid-2012 and after the soliciting for the rele-
vant internal and external approvals, in December 2013 a new 510 sq. km ocean bottom seismic survey was commis-
sioned. The project was started in early January 2014 and completed five months later at the end of May 2014. There
were numerous operational challenges to overcome, mainly but not limited to: simultaneous field operations, close
passes around congested producing infrastructure, shallow water hazards, currents and other environmental concerns
on the project.
This paper seeks to summarise some of the key operational elements of the project and further describes how the
aforementioned challenges were combated. Petrotrin anticipates that the final processed dataset earmarked for early
2016 has the potential to address some of the deficiencies and uniqueness of its legacy data.

Fig 1: A typical ocean bottom seismic acquisition operation.

SURVEY MOTIVE
The rationale behind this project was essentially to produce better resolution imaging that will allow for more accurate
mapping of deeper structural features, as well as, improved stratigraphic definition thereby producing a seismic dataset
with the highest possible signal bandwidth and preservation of phase and amplitude that the data quality would allow.
This ocean bottom seismic survey was designed to cover the remaining portion of the current Petrotrin Trinmar-North
OCTOBER 2015 I 28
Marine licensed area (in water depth greater than 10 meters) with superior data quality than its previous 2005 OBC
survey which only captured data over its extreme south west portion.

OCEAN BOTTOM CABLE SEISMIC SURVEY IN A NUTSHELL

The OBC method shown in Fig. 1 has the advantage of obtaining full coverage in congested producing fields clustered
with platforms, pipelines and drilling rigs and where towed source vessel operations are difficult or impossible. It is
ideally suited for shallow water depths in particular. It offers a range of benefits including higher signal bandwidth,
high spatial resolution, low noise, minimum down-time, geometry design flexibility and versatility, improved opera-
tional efficiency and virtually unlimited offsets.

METHODOLOGY
The survey area (Fig. 2a) is located offshore south-western Trinidad in the Gulf of Paria in water depths ranging from
10 to 50 meters and is bounded by the border with Venezuela on its western edges. OceanGeo, an ION company
which specializes in multicomponent ocean bottom seismic acquisition was selected as the seismic contractor to exe-
cute the Petrotrin 3D 4C orthogonal design project.
The two main DP2 class vessels assigned to the project, the Ocean Europe and the Sanco Star, were the source and
cable/buoy handling vessels respectively and have been used on a number of similar jobs in the past. The receiver
lines ran 0-180 degrees and the source lines ran perpendicular on a 90-270 degrees azimuth. Four (4) receiver lines up
to 6 km lengths were laid out at 400 meter separations in a patch with the relevant source line lengths being 7.2 km
also with 400 meter separations. A full patch envisaged from pre-plots required 33 source lines to attain the expected
180 fold utilising a 12.5m x 12.5m bin size.
Due to the size of the project area (Fig. 1b) and receiver line lengths, as well as, conducting seismic operations so
close to an international maritime boundary, efficient execution of the project required that the project area be sub-
divided into 3 Tiers, with Tier 1 being to the south and Tier 3 being the northernmost tier. Extension areas were add-
ed to the original survey extents proposed specifically on the western border with Venezuela, in addition to a central
infill patch for general improvements on fold coverage (Fig. 2c).

Fig.2a: Location Map; Fig. 2b: Survey Layout Plan; Fig. 2c: Final Fold Post Plots

OCTOBER 2015 I 29
 ACQUISITION PARAMETERS

Some of the key acquisition parameters associated with the project are summarised in Fig. 3 below.

Fig 3: Clockwise: Acquisition Spread/Source Configuration/ Recording Cables/Recording System

OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

Within the project area there were many issues that had to be resolved in order to execute the job efficiently. As pre-
viously mentioned, the Petrotrin Trinmar-North Marine licensed area is a heavily populated acreage with more than
1000 wells, clusters, platforms, rigs, workboats and barges. At the same time, the approx. 1000 sq. km marine space
is shared with the local fishermen and other marine users.
As a priority, a shallow hazard bathymetric survey was ran ahead of the seismic survey .The primary purpose of the
shallow hazard survey was to identify and assess the seabed geologic and man-made navigational hazards within the
proposed survey area and identify the 10m bathymetry limits. These were the principle guidelines to redesigning de-
viations to cable layouts, as well as, sail directions for gathering data. Further, based on the analysis of the data col-
lected from the shallow hazard survey, “no-go” areas were defined. These areas were related to water depth, rocky
outcrops, sand bars and mud flats which would have made equipment and vessel maneuverability problematic.
Despite the vast experience of the boat, seismic and navigation teams, the strong currents in the vicinity of the
“Serpent’s Mouth” made it extremely challenging to acquire data in some of the southern portions of the survey. As
such, it was unanimously decided to drop this area from the program because of safety concerns and risks posed.
Also, due to the size and congested nature of the project area, the amount of available equipment was divided into
many over-lapping patches which made for efficient, balanced simultaneous activity of both the source and receiver
vessels. A fully integrated seismic navigation system specifically designed for OBC surveys also allowed for the ob-
serving of the permissible close pass distances from the numerous fixed installations.
Initially, despite the presence of scouting and chase boats, as well as, Petrotrin’s marine security vessel that were
active on the project, there were instances of vessel noise on the records due to the indiscriminate sailing over the
receiver lines. Fishing activities within the project area also had some measure of concern to the job. However, after
refining our communication strategies, these issues were remedied. The EMA’s Certificate of Environmental

OCTOBER 2015 I 30
Clearance granted for this job mandated the use of Marine Mammals Observers (MMO) and Passive Acoustic Monitor-
ing (PAM) for the duration of the job. This was complied with and provides a statistical database of new information
which can be used in the future. Field wide simultaneous operations in the form of rig moves, work boats, diving opera-
tions, dredging activities and berthing of vessels and barges required proper coordination and generation of work plans
for the safe execution of these activities with minimal impact on Petrotrin’ s day to day operations, as well as, delays to
seismic acquisition.
All of these measures allowed for the survey to be completed ahead of schedule within 5 months. The job was an HSE
success in spite of the overall complexity and nature of the operations associated with it. There were no loss time inci-
dents recorded in 388,662 total crew exposure hours. This was due to the experience of the crews, proper planning
which was disseminated on both vessels, as well as, amongst the onshore teams. These synergy and communications
flows between all critical arms of the project were the key elements towards a successful, safe and efficient project
with negligible impact to the environment.
CONCLUSIONS
The project was executed professionally and required the fullest cooperation and collaboration by all stakeholders. The
operational success was primarily due to proper communications and interactivity between the seismic contactor, Pe-
trotrin’s representatives and onshore support teams. It allowed opportunities to Petrotrin’s geophysicists for transfer
of knowledge and hands on experience with a seismic operations team.
The Petrotrin 4C OBC 3D job was completed safely, on time and within budget. It represents a significant milestone as
the seismic data acquired when fully processed and interpreted is expected to bear fruit and ensures that the company
remains a sustainable and competitive entity.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank the management of Petrotrin for permission to publish this paper and in particular, all of the
geophysicists of the Exploration and Geophysics Department who were part and parcel of this exciting project. Thanks
go out also to exploration consultant, Mr. Victor Young On who worked on all aspects of this project and shared his
expertise and knowledge and the seismic contractor, OceanGeo.

Samuel A. Ragbir
Terrell Dhanpaul Petrotrin
Petrotrin samuel.ragbir@petrotrin.com
terrell.dhanpaul@petrotrin.com Geophysicist with 9 years’ experience in the local oil
Geophysicist with 14 years’ experience and gas industry
in the local oil and gas industry Tele: 733-6013
Tele: 742-0057

http://www.oceangeo.co/

OCTOBER 2015 I 31
 U
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OCTOBER 2015 I 32
 GSTT AAPG Wellsite Visit - Rock Dome Anticline,
Moruga East Oilfield by Maneesha Maharaj, Charis Mungal (AAPG SC UWI STA)

SOLIDIFYING THE THEORY: STUDENT WELLSITE VISIT TO MORUGA EAST OIL FIELD, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Trip Leaders: Mr. Shiraz Murf Rajab (Technical Manager, A&V Oil and Gas Ltd) & Mr. Xavier Moonan (Geologist)

Attendees of the AAPG/ GSTT Wellsite Visit to the Moruga East Oilfield

On the morning of September 26, 2015, the members of the AAPG University of the West Indies, St. Augustine (UWI
STA) Student Chapter and a representative from Petrotrin commenced their participation in the AAPG Latin America
& the Caribbean Region Wellsite Visit to the Rock Dome Anticline, Moruga East Oilfield, Trinidad & Tobago. The event
was a joint venture between the AAPG UWI STA Student Chapter and The Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago
(GSTT) where trip leaders, Mr. Shiraz Rajab and Mr. Xavier Moonan, provided attendees with insight on:
The Digity Mud Volcano & Barrackpore Oilfield, Geology of the Southern Range & Rock Dome Anticline, Geology &
History of the Moruga East Oilfield, HSE Awareness & Drilling Operations, Mudlogging & Wellsite Geology.

OCTOBER 2015 I 33
The first destination of the trip landed the group at the Digity Mud Volcano in the Barrackpore oilfield where the ge-
ology of the site and the origin of the mud volcano were explained. A brief meeting with veteran geologist Mr. Troy
Rambaran proved quite beneficial as he generously shared some of his experiences in the petroleum industry and
elaborated on the discussion about the mud volcano and the Barrackpore oilfield. The Penal Barrackpore oilfield
trends WSW-ENE extending for some 45km and has produced approximately 150MMBO.

The Digity Mud Volcano

Oil production primarily comes from the Middle Miocene Herrera deep water sandy turbidites, which are now found
heavily folded within the Penal Barrackpore Anticline. These sandstones are also understood to have been deposited
syn-kinematically within an eveolving foredeep setting due to south east directed oblique collision of the Caribbean
Plate and the northern margin of South America. A typical petrophysical log of the Herreras depicts a blocky fining up-
ward sandstone with a sharp erosional base. Mr Rambaran further explained that the upper parts of the Herrera unit
are dominated by thin interbedded sands and shales which tend to mislead geological and reservoir engineering inter-
pretation. Due to the high shale content the recorded resistivity tends to be lower than expected. He spoke from expe-
rience stating that on some wells the logs displayed a very low resistivity reading of 2ohms, but due to his observations
of oil within the drill cuttings he convinced his colleagues to perforate this low resistivity zone. The net result was a
well flowing at 700bopd!

A lengthy journey to Moruga followed as the trip leaders headed to the main destination for the day- The Moruga East
Oilfield. At present, Mr. Shiraz Rajab serves as a consultant to A&V Oil and Gas Ltd. and was delighted to host this trip
for the purpose of allowing students to better understand the industry to which they hope to someday contribute.
Sadhna Petroleum Services

OCTOBER 2015 I 34
 Veteran Geologist Troy Rambaran and Shi-
raz Murf Rajab shares their experience from
the Penal Barrackpore Field... including the
story of a derrick that disappeared into a
mud volcano!!

Company Limited, a local service company from which A&V Oil and Gas Ltd. contracted rig services, also welcomed
the idea of exposing these budding geoscientists to the ongoing drilling operations.

Upon arrival at the onshore well site, attendees were given a HSE briefing by Mr. Nigel Fabian regarding the do’s and
don’ts for the duration of the tour. The group was then introduced to their tour guide, Mr. Vishal Ramsook, a drilling
engineer under Sadhna Petroleum Services Company Limited. The tour entailed explanations of the roles and func-
tions of the workers on-site, the purpose of the various equipment and machinery, the rotary system and the circu-
lating system. At the time of our arrival at the ME- 231 wellsite, the drilling of the first section of the well was com-
pleted and we witnessed the operations involved in the installation of the Blow-out Preventer (BOP) in preparation
for the deeper drilling to come.

Drilling Engineer explains the

rotary system to attendees

Upon departure from the well site, the group trekked further east making many stops along the way, with Mr. Rajab
pointing out various company assets including oil and gas storage sites and interesting outcrops in the area. We
learnt that many of these onshore facilities serve as a collection point for the oil and gas being produced from the
offshore east coast of Trinidad. The most memorable stop for the attendees came at the historical site of Trinidad
and Tobago’s very first oil discovery well.
OCTOBER 2015 I 35
This discovery well, GY- 1, located in the East Coast district of Guayaguayare was drilled by the Canadian Oil Exploration
Company with main drillers Mosher and Rower. The well commenced on May 30 th, 1902 and was completed on Octo-
ber 24th, 1902 at a depth of 1015 feet, initially producing 25 barrels of oil per day.

Gearing towards the end

of the trip, a short stop
was made at another
historical site - the for-
mer Randolph Rust vil-
lage. Randolph Rust was
the pioneering explora-
tionist who led the drill-
ing campaign which
yielded many oil discov-
eries in Guayaguayare.
Oil discoveries in the
area led to significant At the former Randoplh Rust village overlooking Galeota Point, south east coast Trinidad

infrastructural development of the densely forested south eastern coast. As we watched the waves crashing on the
east coast, staring out at the current oil and gas platforms in the distance, we tried to picture what this area may have
been like some 120 years ago when Randolph Rust first ventured to this part of the island in search of oil. Though he
struggled to understand the complex geology of the Guayaguayare area, his never ending faith, optimism, and enthusi-
asm kept him going.

Overall, this trip proved to be very beneficial to students as it allowed a first-hand look at the basic operations of a well-
site in addition to the opportunity to explore various parts of the country which act as both operational centres and
historical significance to the oil and gas industry. We as students recognize the value of these trips as we further our
geoscience careers and as such, we sincerely extend our thanks to A&V Oil and Gas Ltd. and Sadhna Petroleum Services
Limited for accommodating this well site visit. We also wish to thank the AAPG Latin America and Caribbean Region,
the GSTT and last but certainly not least, our trip leaders, Mr. Shiraz Rajab and Mr. Xavier Moonan, for hosting and co-
ordinating the event. It was indeed a most gratifying experience that would surely enhance our geoscience careers.

List of attendees:

Maneesha Maharaj, Charis Mungal, Dominic Waldron, Celine Thompson, Renee- Zia Forte, Keifer Archer, Liselle Persad,
Muzaffar Mohamdally, Navin Dookeram & Shirilla Brandon

OCTOBER 2015 I 36
 Retrench under the microscope…
by Xavier Moonan (GSTT Immediate Past President)

Geology (UWI Mona Jamaica) undergraduate Stefon Harrypersad signed up to attend the GSTT-AAPG La Fortune Anticline wellsite
visit in June. Little did he know that this wellsite visit will soon snowball into a series of ‘la-fortunate ’ events.

Stefon returned to Trininidad for the vacation period in search of a suitable geological study that could serve as his final year pro-
ject. He landed himself a part time job at one of the local quarries but found it rather difficult to gather support within the compa-
ny to proceed with a Stefon collecting Retrench Sand outcrop samples at the Golconda Interchange
mapping project . He
found that many of
these aggregate com-
panies utilize very
little geoscience in
their mining process.

Stefon met the group

of wellsite visit
attendees at the
Oropouche oilfield
and was bursting with
excitement to witness
firsthand the drilling
process. He asked
many questions and
the gentle folk at
Sadhna and API Petroleum were very accommodating to his enthusiasm. So much so, API Petroleum offered Stefon an internship
at their La Fortune Field Office, coincidentally a mere 5 minute drive from Stefon’s residence. Through consultation with his geol-
ogy lecturers in Jamaica, API Petroleum Consultants and the GSTT a study was formulated titled ‘Subsurface mapping of the
Early Miocene Retrench Sands of the Oropouche Oilfield’. The project entails the use of well logs, paleontology reports
and production data to generate Structure, Net Sand and Net Oil Sand maps. API Petroleum further donated all drill
cuttings from their recent drilling campaign (AO-116, 117 &118) to the
GSTT and UWI. Stefon has since used these cuttings to generate litho-
logs for each well. In collaboration with the Petroleum Geoscience Unit
at UWI St Augustine Stefon is conducting hi-res biostratigraphy and
statistical analysis. This Retrench sand dataset will feed into a Cipero/
Brasso study being coordinated by Prof. Brent Wilson and Ms. Ashleigh
Costello at UWI STA. Back in Jamaica, Stefon will generate thin sections
from the drill cuttings and Retrench sands outcrop samples collected at
Golconda Interchange. These thin sections will prove invaluable in
better understanding the mineralogy, texture and provenance of the
Early Miocene Retrench sandstones. He will further interpret 2D and
3D seismic data across the La Fortune Anticline and conduct structural restorations to unravel the evolution of this anti-
cline and its impact on the deposition of the Retrench sands. Ultimately Stefon will integrate all these new fantastic
datasets to propose drilling locations for API Petroleum, and produce a comprehensive report on the Retrench sand-
stones. The GSTT salutes Stefon’s passion for geology and his ‘first of its type’ integrated Retrench project . Deserving-
ly, the GSTT granted a Student Bursary to Stefon and we wish him all the best in his studies.
OCTOBER 2015 I 37
 Trinidad & Tobago’s Current Deepwater Campaign:
Implications of the Contractual Obligations and Taxation Regime

by Javed Razack (MSc Oil & Gas Management)

Deepwater E&P has expanded phenomenally in recent years. Global oil supply is currently 92 million bopd (Seng 2015).
Onshore and shallow water account
for 60% and 33% of global produc-
tion respectively, while deepwater
takes the remaining 7% at 6 million
barrels per day.
Despite the current downturn in oil
prices, deepwater growth is ex-
pected to continue. Only 40% of
deepwater discoveries are produc-
ing, while the rest await appraisal
or development. 75% of deepwater
expenditure is spent in the ‘Golden
Triangle’, the historically producing
deepwater region between West
Africa, Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico
(see Figure 1). FIGURE 1 - T&T WITHIN THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE OF DEEPWATER PRODUCTION (AFTER BBC ARTICLE ON DEEP-
WATER DRILLING 2010)
T&T’s 1st deepwater campaign took
place between 1999 and 2003, when 8 wells were drilled by BP, Arco, Shell and Exxon in water depths ranging 1000 –
1400m. Unfortunately, none found commercial hydrocarbons. Oil and gas shows proved however, that a working pe-
troleum system exists.
T&T re-opened its deep and ultra
-deep waters for competitive
bidding in 2006. This and several
subsequent bid rounds had little
interest, and no blocks were
awarded until the taxation re-
gime was revised and made
more attractive in 2011. Be-
tween 2012 and 2014, 9 deep-
water blocks were awarded.
T&T is currently exploring these
9 frontier blocks in water depths
of 1800 – 2200m. 3D seismic was
completed in 2015 and the first
well is to be spudded before the
FIGURE 2 – T&T CONCESSION MAP WITH 9 ACTIVE DEEPWATER BLOCKS HIGHLIGHTED IN RED (AFTER MEEA end of 2016.
CONCESSION MAP 2012)

OCTOBER 2015 I 38
As per the contracts, a minimum of 8 exploration wells are to be drilled. All blocks are operated by BHP Billiton, and
partners include BP, Repsol and BG.
The main objective of this project was to determine how small an oil or gas field could be and still generate economic
rent, within the confines of the contracts and tax regime. This is especially important with today’s low oil and gas pric-
es.
Oil fields of reserves 100, 200 and 300 million barrels (mmbbl) and gas fields of reserves 600, 1200, 2400 and 4800 bil-
lion cubic feet (Bcf) were modelled at a range of oil and gas prices.
The main conclusions are:
 The minimum obligatory expenditure across the 9 blocks is just over $US 1.1 billion, which has an NPV @10% of
$0.77 billion in 2012 dollars. This includes 8 exploration wells and 20,000km2 of 3D seismic, gravity and mag-
netics. if all phases are completed in all blocks, this becomes $3 billion with an NPV @10% of $1.75 billion. This
includes 26 exploration wells.

 One oil and one gas field were modelled respectively. For the reserves sizes used (100 – 300 mmbbl), the capital
costs for the oil field were between $3.2 and $5.6 billion. These were between $3.1 and $8.9 billion for the gas
field (600 – 4800 Bcf reserves). Production for all fields was via FPSO with pipeline to Galeota. For oil, an addi-
tional option of using shuttle tankers instead of pipelines was also considered.

 Economic means that the field must attain a positive after tax Net Present Value (NPV) @10%. As of July 2015,
WTI oil prices are below the base case of $60/bbl used. At this price only the field with 300 mmbbl reserves gen-
erates a marginally positive post-tax NPV (of $90M). Assuming a RF of 30%, the minimum economic field size at
current prices will therefore be approximately 1 billion bbl OIIP. As of July 2015, Current Henry Hub natural gas
is under $3/mcf, our base case price. Based on the assumptions made, even a huge gas field with 8 Tcf in place
(4800 Bcf reserves) could not generate a positive post-tax NPV. The minimum economic gas field size was not
calculated. However, a prediction can be made; 20 Tcf GIIP (12 Tcf recoverable) may be commercially viable at
current prices. This is on the scale of the recent discoveries in East Africa. The economics for oil is therefore
much more favourable than gas on a boe basis.

 First tax revenues are forecasted as 2026 for oil and 2029 for gas. The first PSCs were executed in 2012, so first
production is optimistically forecasted for 14 to 17 years later. The PSC profit sharing mechanism guarantees
government an annual portion of gross revenue. Government take ranges 55 – 62% for the fields modelled.

 Strengths of tax regime:

 At 55 – 62%, GT is lower than that of proven deepwater provinces like Ghana, Brazil, Australia and Nigeria.
This has been a major factor in successful PSC execution between 2012 and 2014.
 Cost Recovery Limit of 80% allows investment to be recovered quickly.
 There are no signature bonuses unless bidders have tied.
 Production and signature bonuses are cost recoverable.
 There is no state participation, which is effectively a form of tax. The operator is therefore free to choose all
its own partners.
 The mechanism by which taxes are paid out of government share reflects strong fiscal stability over the long
term.

OCTOBER 2015 I 39
 Weaknesses of tax regime:
 Uplifts for exploration wells may lead to gold plating.
 Non-consolidation of these PSCs can lead to an overall negative NPV, even if some fields are commercially
viable.
 The government share is often too small to extract the required taxes. It is unclear how these taxes are then
carried forward. It is predicted that government never receives the full taxes owed over the field life.
 Paying taxes out of government share is an administratively arduous task that requires transferring money
from the MEEA to Ministry of Finance.
 The individual tax rates may be irrelevant as all taxes are taken out of the government share.

Mexico Bid Round & Trinidad Update:

MEXICO
Bid Rounds, Promotions & Acreage Releases

Round 1 Shallow Water - Eni wins first contract in Phase 2 The final tally at Mexico’s Phase 2 of Round 1 licensing process for five
offshore extraction contracts encompassing nine fields was mixed with only three areas drawing winning bids. Eni of Italy made an
aggressive bid of 83.75% on the first contract area covering the Amoca, Mizton and Tecoalli fields. Meanwhile, Pan American and
E&P Hidrocarburos bid 70% for the second contract encompassing the Hokchi Field. The winning group made up of Fieldwood and
Petrobal bid and won the 58 sq km fourth contract area, which includes the Ichalkil and Pokoch fields. Fieldwood and Petrobal bid
74%. No bids were made for the third contract covering the Xulum Field. The area was declared void. Nor were bids placed on the
fifth contract covering the Nak and Mison fields. It too was declared void. Today's results were somewhat better than the 15 July
2015 bidding when only two blocks out of 14 were awarded. Those areas, Block 2 and Block 7, went to Talos Energy, Sierra Oil and
Premier.
Eni won the first contract with an aggressive bid of 83.75%. That bid beat the following offers:
• DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG bid 61.18%,
• Pan American and E&P Hidrocarburos bid 68.23%
• Statoil bid 66%
• Petronas Carigali International and Galp Energia E&P bid 57%
• Fieldwood and Petrobal bid 48%
• Talos Energy, Sierra Oil & Gas & Carso Oil & Gas and Carso Energy 46.73%
• Lukoil bid 75.1%
• CNOOC bid 54.6%
Pan American and E&P Hidrocarburos bid 70% for the contract encompassing the Hokchi Field. They beat out:
• Fieldwood and Petrobal bid 65%
• Talos Energy, Sierra Oil & Gas & Carso Oil & Gas and Carso Energy bid 63.84%
• Statoil bid 61%
• CNOOC bid 50.15%
In the end, only nine companies registered to bid. The individual bidders: CNOOC International, DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, Eni Inter-
national, Lukoil Overseas Netherlands and Statoil E&P Mexico. Four consortia: Pan America Energy and E&P Hidrocarburos; Field-
wood Energy and Petrobal; Petronas Carigali International and Galp Energia E&P; and Talos Energy, Sierra Oil & Gas & Carso Oil &
Gas and Carso Energy. Chevron and Shell, both of which were in the pre-qualification run up, declined to participate. Meanwhile,
the government take for the contracts were set as thus: the first contract area, including the Amoca, Mizton and Tecoalli fields was
34.8%. The minimum for the second contract area encompassing the Hokchi Field was 35.9%. The minimum for the third contract
covering the Xulum Field was 30.2%. The minimum for the fourth contract encompassing the Ichalkil and Pokoch fields was 33.7%.

OCTOBER 2015 I 40
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Planned Exploration Wells

Range - Canari North 1 - Guayaguayare - Applied for extension on exploration well, to be spudded in Oct 2015 Range Resources, in
September 2015, reported that they plan to apply for an extension in early October, on the Canari North 1 well on the onshore
portion of the Guayaguayare Block (southern Trinidad), after approval expired on 7 September. Once granted, the extension will be
valid for three months. The exploration well is expected to be spudded in October 2015. Rig 8, which arrived at the drilling location
in July for the earlier scheduled spud of the week commencing 27 July, has undergone repairs and inspections. With a PTD of
1,524m, the well will be drilled on a vertical trajectory to incept and test for hydrocarbons in the Lower Sands of the Gros Morne
Formation anticipated at 1,070m depth. Secondary targets include the shallower-seated Upper and Middle sands, predicted to be
encountered at near-surface depths and 714m respectively. The program, postponed from the first quarter of 2015, is expected to
take 50 days, with Range estimating 25% chance of success for the Lower Sand. The company estimates P50 unrisked recoverable
prospective resource of 8.864 MMboe and P50 risked recoverable prospective resource of 2.16 MMboe. Range is hoping success
on the well will de-risk the Moruga sub-basin and identify new
leads to be followed up through to 2016. Canari North is one of
two planned onshore exploration wells to be drilled in the north-
ern portion of the contract area. The Guayaguayare Block is com-
prised of two depth dependent licenses; Shallow Horizons and
Deep Horizons, for which Range has acquired remaining interest
from Niko Resources in September 2015. The Shallow Horizons
license, in which Range holds 65% operative interest, is situated
above 1,525m onshore and 3,200m offshore. Range holds 80%
operative interest in the 1,084 sq km “Guayaguayare - Deep Hori-
zons” license which lies below these depths.

West Indian Energy - Green Hermit 2 - Cory Moruga - Planned exploration well deferred West Indian Energy Group Limited has de-
ferred plans to drill the Green Hermit 2 well in the Cory Moruga Block (Southern Trinidad), according to industry sources in Sep-
tember 2015. The onshore exploration well was due to be spudded once operations were completed on the Snowcap 2 well. Drill-
ing operations on Snowcap 2 were halted in August, at around 1,675m, short of the 2,134m PTD. Casing was set in order to test
numerous zones within the turbiditic sandstones of the Miocene Herrera Formation. Logging was unable to be carried out due to
operational difficulties. The licence for the Cory Moruga Block expires in March 2016. West Indian operates the PSC with 83.8%
interest. Partner Primera Oil & Gas Limited, a subsidiary of Touchstone, holds 16.2% WI.

Current Field Developments

BHP Billiton - Angostura - Development drilling planned Sep 2015 BHP Billiton is planning to drill three development wells in the
Greater Angostura area on Block 2(c) off the east coast of Trinidad and Tobago, according to industry sources. The first of the three
wells is the Angostura 1 Twin well, for which the spud date was expected to be around 20 September 2015. This well is being
drilled using the Rowan “Joe Douglas” jack-up rig. The Greater Angostura Field includes oil and gas discoveries at Aripo, Kairi and
Canteen. A five year extension was signed in 2013, which takes the field to 2026. BHP operates the licence with 45% WI. The Na-
tional Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago and Chaoyang Petroleum hold 30% and 25% WI respectively.

Planned Field Developments

PDVSA & Chevron - Loran-Manatee - Venezuelan delegation meets in Trinidad & Tobago A Venezuelan delegation was in Trinidad &
Tobago in September 2015 as part of both nations desire to develop Loran-Manatee field. The Venezuelan delegation was led by
Vice Minister of the Economy Rodolfo Torres Marco, Minister for Foreign Affairs Delcy Rodríguez and Minister for Mining and Pe-
troleum and PDVSA President Eulogio Del Pino. The joint field contains 10.25 tcf of which 73.75% is on the Venezuelan side where
production may be located. The binational agreement for the Loran-Manatee field was signed in 2013. Most of the 10.25 Tcf of gas
reserves in the Loran-Manatee field, or about 73.75%, was allocated to Venezuela. The rest was allocated to T&T. PDVSA is working
with Chevron to develop the field.

OCTOBER 2015 I 41
 GSTT SPETT Annual All Fours Tournament 2015

The GSTT and SPETT conducted their Annual All Fours Tournament on Sunday 4th October, 2015 at the Petrotrin Guaracara
Sports Club. There was a great turn out from both teams, GSTT clad in their purple colours, SPETT in their traditional blue shirts.
Great anticipation was in the air… One year ago the GSTT stole the trophy from the SPETT in a very closely fought tournament.
SPETT was back with a vengeance.. At half time
the scores read 30 SPETT– 19 GSTT. The GSTT TEAM SPETT reclaims the trophy
statisticians were at work analysing the tables,
and encouraging their colleagues to push on.
GSTT’s Rooplal Sooknanan and Vernon Dookie
took the fight to the SPETT with a series of hang
jacks, and bulleyes but the writing was on the
wall… SPETT comfortably reclaimed the trophy 61-
40. They also claimed the prize for most hang
jacks (4), the best all female team and the first
bullseye in each half of the tournament. Resound-
ingly Team SPETT won on 9 of the 12 competing
tables. The GSTT extends it congratulations to
the SPETT. It was definitely a great afternoon of
fun and comradery with our engineering colleagues. We look forward to jointly hosting many more events with the SPETT in
the future… and reclaiming the trophy - same time, same place next year!

OCTOBER 2015 I 42
 GSTT Events June - October 2015
Dr Sunil Lalloo—Geomatics
Technical Session

Pic with most likes on GSTT Facebook

Group for this period- 84

Dr Hasley Vincent & Mr Philip Farfan Lunch & Learn Session on Canari Bay

GSTT AAPG Wellsite Visit—La

Fortune Anticline, Oropouche

Sara-Jade Govia leads the Hydrogeology talk by WRA & WASA

GSTT Family Day—petting the horse! GSTT AAPG Wellsite Visit—Moruga East trip –stop at the Digity
Mud Volcano Field

GSTT SPETT All Fours Tournament

OCTOBER 2015 I 43
 EAGE Student Chapter - Trinidad & Tobago
Calling all geoscience and geology students! The European Association of Geo-
scientists and Engineers invites you to establish an EAGE STUDENT CHAPTER in
Trinidad and Tobago. Since establishing their America’s Office in Curacao the
EAGE has become increasingly present at regional conferences. In May 2015
EAGE delegate, Ms Alexandra Chroma, visited Trinidad & Tobago and actively
participated in the 20th Caribbean Geological Conference (CGC). The EAGE held
a booth at the conference promoting their geoscience programmes, conferences
and technical talks.
EAGE Student Chapters provide a platform for geoscience students to meet, ex-
change ideas and initiate activities with the support of EAGE. As a Student Chap-
ter you would operate under the EAGE flag and collaborate with EAGE’s Student
Affairs Department in order to promote geosciences as well as the overall EAGE
student activities within your university and beyond!
Interested persons can contact Ms Saara Mohammed (Petroleum Geoscience
Undergraduate UWI St Augustine) at saaramohammed11235@gmail.com

OCTOBER 2015 I 44
OCTOBER 2015 I 45
 2014
Oct 16th GSTT Technical Session - Ecostratigraphy for Deep Water
Nov 20th GSTT Technical Session - Petroleum Systems of the Central Range
G Nov 21st GSTT-AAPG Technical Session - Honorary Lecturer
i -
IBA Sem
Dec 4th GSTT Technical Session - Reservoir Modelling
S Dec 13th Annual Dinner & Dance AAPG
2015 finals!!
T Jan 14th GSTT Lunch & Learn - Mud Volcanoes & Strike Slip Tectonics
Jan 22nd GSTT Technical Session - Deep Water frontal splays
Jan 29th GSTT Lunch & Learn - EM Technology
T Feb 16th GSTT-Dalhousie Northern Range Field Trip
l y
o nth ns!! Feb 17th GSTT-Dalhousie Vessigny Field Trip

14 M Sessio Feb 19th GSTT-Dalhousie Mud Volcano Field Trip

Feb 18th GSTT-Dalhousie Cedros Field Trip

h nical Feb 19th GSTT-Dalhousie Technical Session

Y Tec Feb 20th GSTT-Dalhousie Caroni Swamp Field Trip
Feb 21st GSTT-Dalhousie Mayaro Field Trip
E March 3rd GSTT AAPG IBA Virtual Round
April 10th GSTT AAPG IBA Semi-Final @ BGTT
Histori
c 20th
CGC!!
A May 17th 20th CGC - Moruga Delta Field Trip
May 17th 20th CGC - Regional Tectonics Short Course
May 17th 20th CGC - Ice Breaker
R May 18th 20th CGC - Opening Ceremony & Technical Talks
May 19th 20th CGC - Tectonic Symposium
May 19th 20th CGC - ION/GXT Short Course
May 20th 20th CGC - Technical Talks & Closing Cocktails
16 Fie May 21st 20th CGC - Northern Range Field Trip
I ld Tri
ps!! May 21st 20th CGC - Central Range Field Trip
May 22nd 20th CGC - Mud Diapirs Field Trip
N May 22nd 20th CGC - Middle Miocene Carbonates Field Trip
May 22nd 20th CGC - Barbados Field Trip
June 1st participation at EAGE 77th Conference & Exhibition
June 22nd GSTT Hammer June 2015
June 23rd GSTT-AAPG Wellsite Visit #1 - La Fortune Anticline
R July 4th GSTT-AAPG Wellsite Visit #2 - La Fortune Anticline
July 9th GSTT Technical Session - Geomatics Engineering
y
E July 19th GSTT-AAPG Wellsite Visit #3 - La Fortune Anticline
M o nthl
a m mer Aug 15th GSTT Annual Family Day
E WS!
!
H Aug 27th GSTT Lunch & Learn - Canari Bay e N
V a r terly e ! ! Aug 28th GSTT August eNews
Qu a gazin Sept 4th GSTT sponsorship AAPG SC & YP Leadership Summit
em
I Sept 8th GSTT-AAPG Centrica Energy Core Workshop
Sept 17th GSTT Lunch & Learn- Hydrogeology
Sept 26th GSTT-AAPG Wellsite Visit - Moruga East
E Sept 28th GSTT September eNews
Oct 4th GSTT vs SPETT Annual All Fours Tournament 2015
W Oct 6th GSTT Hammer October 2015
Oct 7th GSTT Lunch & Learn- SEG Honorary Lecturer 2015 - Seismic bandwidth extension
Oct 8th GSTT AAPG Core Viewing Session
Oct 26th GSTT Technical Session—Hitchhikers Guide to Geophysics
OCTOBER 2015 I 46 Oct 27th GSTT Technical Session - Surface Waves & AGM
 BRAINERCIZE
The GSTT has been collaborating with the AAPG and numerous
oil companies to facilitate wellsite visits for geoscience and ge-
ology students. On such visits students were given a tour of the ??

drilling rig and all of its operational components. Try your hand
at identifying the key components of a standard drilling rig.

??

??

??

??

??
??

??

??

??

ANSWERS FROM OUR LAST ISSUE

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR WELLS?! Fil in the extended name and abbreviations respectively

Well Name Abbreviation Extended Name

1 AQS Apex Quarry South
2 ACO Apex Coora
3 AO Antilles Oropouche
4 AV Antilles Vessigny
5 BD Boodoosingh
6 BE Balata East
7 WN Wilson
8 PI Puzzle Island
9 CRV Congo River
10 FZ Fyzabad
11 P Penal
12 LB Los Bajos
13 MDB Morne Diablo
14 SIP Siparia
15 DV Debe Venture

Congratulations to Mr. Curtis Archie and Mr. Lennon Blackman, both of the Exploration & Geophysics Depart-
ment Petrotrin Pointe-a-Pierre, on submitting all correct answers!

OCTOBER 2015 I 47