Keynote Abstracts   

South East Asia is not mature for exploration. More oil and gas were found in East Java from 2000 to 2010 than in the entire century of drilling beforehand. Do we realise why this was and can we apply the lessons to other areas? We have grown comfortable with the idea that we mostly know the geology of the region, but this is an illusion based on un-justified self-confidence. Using newly published examples from the region, this talk will try to convince you that we have been stuck in a rut of old ideas, show you some new ideas, and even point to how a new approach justifies one new play in a low cost, oil-prone area. The difficult part will be to convince you that in spite of massive expenditure on the silver bullet of technology in the past few decades (we’ve been fooled by salespeople) the industry has neglected fundaments (we are fooling ourselves about our understanding). It is time to rein in the technological expenditure and do some science. But surely this has been done before? No. This can be illustrated using a historical review of scientific methods applied to the region. Now is the time to analyse, re-invent, pass international peer approval, and thereby attract investors who are moving away from other parts of the globe.  

Traditionally, interpretation of seismic data sets is a labour-intensive process of manual picking or auto-tracking single horizons within a seismic volume. Given the current context of the oil and gas industry, the limits of seismic interpretation are pushed back year after year. Even though new technologies using machine learning are making progress in the automation of some interpretation tasks, the remaining challenge consists in obtaining a geological model with a higher level of resolution and in a reduced time frame. On this matter, recently, various comprehensive methods for interpretation have been proposed for a full volume interpretation. The method proposed is a semi-automated workflow, where a geological time model is computed while the seismic data is being interpreted. Horizons are auto-tracked across the full seismic data, chrono-stratigraphically sorted in real time, and used to generate a geological time model. A fully interactive process enables the geoscientist to refine the interpretation of every horizon and iteratively increase the accuracy. This versatile method unlocks tailor made workflows by fully integrating geoscience fields of expertise like sedimentology, stratigraphy, structural, geophysics and petrophysics. Its efficiency has been worldwide proven in the most of sedimentary basin types with successful applications in every phase of industry workflows, from data reconnaissance through exploration and toward development, for both continental and marine depositional environment types, in clastic and carbonate systems, from basin to reservoir scale.  

3D modeling of the geological history at a series of locations provides a powerful alternative to focusing on rock  properties and diagenetic process in understanding the combined effects of tectonics; sediment supply and provenance; transport mechanisms, directions, and distances; paleobathymetry and elevation; depositional facies; rates of deposition, erosion, and changes in water depth; and unconformities. Any analysis of rock properties that neglects some or all of these issues, leading to a risk of not extracting maximum information, or of making poor exploration decisions. This talk will illustrate examples of the application of IGA in understanding geologic histories, particularly in complex areas, and in making the best business decisions possible. Developing this skill is essential for technical workers, managers, and investors. 

This study presents a play-based evaluation of the southern part of the deepwater NW Sabah fold-thrust belt, a key exploration area in Malaysia. The key objective was adding value to the existing database through an integrated approach. This goal was achieved by analysing four critical geological risk elements: reservoir presence, structural evolution, top seal integrity, and timing of hydrocarbon charge and migration, to identify prospective areas for future exploration by integrating all available geological, geophysical and geochemical information into a consistent petroleum system framework. Using the basin-play-prospect maturation workflow, data spanning the geophysical domain (with inputs such as seismic evaluation, structural mapping and attribute analysis) to the geological realm (such as well correlations, fairway mapping, sedimentological studies, biostratigraphic investigations and source rock maturation modelling), are combined with structural kinematic evolution to generate detailed play-based element maps. The application of the tried and tested play-based evaluation methodology from basin evaluation through to prospect maturation has been carried out. This has led to a comprehensive play element analysis yielding a composite risk segment map within a consistent petroleum system framework. In addition, the study has provided sensible explanations for dry hole analysis, an important reality check, but most importantly it has generated a fresh insight into the overall prospectivity of the study area. This enhanced multi-discipline analysis is beneficial for reducing exploration risk for future expenditure in a time of depressed oil prices that calls for a more innovative approach for deepwater exploration. In summary, integration of available data and the application of new in-house ideas and solid geoscientific knowledge has added value through the generation of increased prospectivity, however for further ground-truthing the real litmus test has to come from future drilling. 

Main objective of this talk is to summarize structural styles and tectonic processes observed in sedimentary basins, with particular emphasis in “complex structures”. One of the pillars of oil basin exploration is the generation of robust geological models that allow companies to invest in exploration campaigns and eventually add new hydrocarbon reserves to their portfolios. As a reminder, structural geology discipline is one of the fundamental tools to assess Petroleum System Elements evaluation, i.e., “play types”, “trap timing”, “trap closure”, etc.As the years have passed, the geoscientific community has witnessed the important advances related to the contributions of structural geology to the documentation of the different types of structural traps. We can cite the cases of imbricated structures existing in various folded belts, as well as those associated with salt and shale tectonics. In many cases the so-called "complex structures" are in fact associated with various episodes of deformation, either extensional, compressive, or wrenching. More recently, new seismic acquisition and processing technologies in evaporitic basins have brought to light new concepts that have clarified previously called "complex structures”.Perhaps we should avoid using the terminology "complex structures" unless specialists have serious doubts about deformation processes and timing. In fact, it is rare to find in the literature examples of “complex stratigraphy”…!   

Sequence biostratigraphy is the process of identifying depositional cycles from the examination of microfossil distribution patterns. It provides a new way of utilising biostratigraphic data to resolve stratigraphic issues and is particularly relevant to the stratigraphy of the three regions of the Malay Basin, Sarawak, and offshore Sabah. The method involves characterisation of transgressive-regressive depositional cycles from the examination of biostratigraphic datasets, dating or ‘fingerprinting’ them in the more marine facies, and following them into proximal settings by examination of stacking patterns and well-by-well cross-checks against seismic. Forty one depositional cycles have been identified and their boundaries dated from Malaysian basins from the mid-Oligocene to the Pliocene. Comparison of the cycles with δ18O and δ13C isotope data from ODP sites suggests that they are driven by Antarctic glaciation in the Oligo-Miocene and Arctic glaciation in the Pliocene. Extraction of the sea level component from the isotope record provides a sea level curve that is relevant to Malaysian basins, and by examination of the sedimentation ‘pulsebeat’ across Southeast Asia, in relation to this proxy sea level curve, it becomes much easier to differentiate the effects of glacio-eustacy from tectonic events. This presentation firstly compares the succession of Sarawak depositional cycles to the proxy sea level curve based on isotope data, and secondly examines the main unconformities across the region in relation to changes in sedimentation rates. From the ages established for each cycle boundary, it is possible to calculate the rate of sedimentation for each depositional cycle below and above an unconformity. Evaluation of regional variations in the sedimentation rate across each stratigraphic break provides an objective way in which possible unconformities reported across the region can be evaluated. Using this approach, the controls on unconformities at the Oligo-Miocene boundary, and within the early, middle, and late Miocene and Pliocene are discussed. These evaluations suggest that the concept, and cause of each unconformity needs re-evaluation. 

The exploration campaign in the Malay Basin has encountered a variety of basement rocks in quest for hydrocarbons. The penetrated basement is variable, ranging from argillite, limestone, volcanic, plutonic rocks (like granite and granodiorite) and metamorphic rocks. The basement assemblage reflects a complex evolution of the pre-Tertiary basin with evolving tectonic dynamics of the province. Hydrocarbons have been discovered in granite and phyllites during the exploration. The diverse lithologies show variable mechanical properties for fracture and reservoir development. The mechanism of charging has been through fractures and a basement target for exploration is a very much a part of the current strategy. This talk will primarily focus on the nature and characteristics of the various penetrated lithologies, their characterization of rock-based calibration using traditional and advanced petrological categorization, and integration with the geophysical tools. The presence of multiple rock-types can be complex to detect by geophysical techniques; this will offer a challenge to predicting the accurate basement type before drilling. The recent example of a drilled well has shown differential composition of plutonics during the primary magmatic differentiation, thus adding the challenges to geophysical delineation. Supporting tools for mapping the fracture reservoir like discrete fracture network modeling and analysis is greatly enhanced when using rock-based calibration. Collaboration with different specialists and improving their workflow helps in characterizing natural fractures and develop 3D fracture network models. Fracture distribution datasets from outcrops based on their lithology of granitic vis-a-vis low grade metamorphic can help in understanding the fracture reservoir better in the subsurface. The ongoing studies have also established several workflow practices for delineating the weathered top of basements of specific lithologies, helping in optimal well casing and completion techniques. Several improved practices in near real-time that have enhanced the data sets are protocols for well-site mineralogy and rock chemistry. Key constraints for understanding the evolution and the timing of the basement rocks include a robust geochronological framework for the varied igneous and volcanic rocks. This combined with the limitations of the geophysical mapping of various rock types poses the biggest challenge in a geological basement for exploration.

Small and marginal oil and gas fields are an increasingly important focus area for the oil and gas industry.  Despite the increasing trend towards renewable energy sources, and the recent impact of the coronavirus pandemic, demand for oil and gas will continue well into the 21st Century.  Since the larger, more traditional oil and gas fields are becoming fewer and harder to find, this demand must be met by smaller fields, many of which are currently classified as marginal.  This talk will highlight some of the key inputs required to convert marginal discoveries into profitable developments.  One of the most fundamental of these inputs is time.  Minimizing time helps maximize NPV. To minimize time, companies must break down the traditional barriers that exist between departments and ensure company-wide collaboration exists right from the start.  Companies with the foresight and agility to collaborate quickly and effectively will be well placed to reap the rewards in the coming decades.