Publications

Upstream oil and gas activities in Indonesia have begun to shift from old onshore fields to offshore and deepwater areas. Most of the gas resources potential are still largely unexplored i.e deepwater area of North Sumatra Basin (NSB). Over the last five years, offshore oil and gas working areas in Andaman - North Sumatra have always dominated the Indonesia petroleum acreage bidding rounds. Several major oil and gas companies are still believing the significant untap hydrocarbon potential within the offshore deep-water area of NSB with big running room area for future exploration growth.

There are total of six plays that has been classified within the well penetration chart generated within NSB. The evaluated wells stretched from NW to SE direction. This paper is concentrating on the devaluation results of Middle Miocene Baong deepwater play. The latest study of this play was commenced using 2D seismic data acquired in the eastern part of Andaman Sea and utilized the one and only gas discovery well from Baong play namely Jambu Aye Utara-1 (JAU-1) which was drilled by Inpex Aceh in 1986. JAU-1 has proved the presence of Baong Sandstone with good gas productivity. Based on logs, lithology, seismic data and correlation to the nearby well, thinning and pinch-out of the gas bearing sandstones from Baong Formation to the east are predicted. However, the distribution of the facies and reservoir outside the JAU structure is yet to be unraveled and remained uncertain.

The study is aimed to explain the presence of Baong Sandstone distribution in the study area using the present-day sea floor morphology image, seabed configuration and deepwater architectural elements as an analogue for fan model & facies successions of Baong play in southern Andaman Sea. Imaging of seafloor topography, various seismic attribute analysis, deepwater architectural elements analysis using recent 3D seismic acquired covering the study area disclosed the details of deep water Baong Sandstone distribution and its facies type.

Each deepwater turbidite sand is unique, with an internal structure, architectural elements and lithology that vary across a range of scales in response to local processes governs by its depositional setting. Those are related to the tectonic regime which play roles in the basin physiography evolution and source-to-sink sedimentation processes. Identification of deepwater sediment fairway and facies distribution will strongly contribute to the future exploration of deepwater play in Offshore NSB.