3 D to explore oil in Mannar Basin

Advanced methods such as 3 D in oil exploration in the Mannar Basin were used for the first time despite oil exploration programs being conducted earlier, said Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat Director General Dr. Neil De Silva.

The Mannar basin under Sri Lanka's maritime jurisdiction is approximately 30,000 sq k.m. with water depths over 3,000 metres, he said.

Dr. de Silva said that there is no sufficient data to assess the size of our deposits in the basin. In other parts of the world, basins of similar size have been found to contain several billion barrels of oil but the geology in the Mannar basin could be quite different, he said.

Seismic studies can only indicate the presence of gas but not oil. However, seismic studies and current data on wells can indicate only the potential of oil accumulations.

The proposed wells in the Mannar Basin are referred to as exploration wells until oil is discovered, he said.