[Abdulkadir Abiikar, Petrosom, 2007]
#
date
Researcher/Oil Company and/or organisation
Type of work or activity
1
2007
Canmex in joint venture with Range Resources in Puntland
Canmex will start drilling for oil in Puntland at the beginning of 2008 in blocks previously
awarded to Conoco. [Conoco declared “force majeure” in 1990.]
2
2006
Bill St. John’s work and studies in Lynx, a London-based GIS firm
Wells, fields, concessions, gravity, tectonics, seismic, Landsat and bathymetry incorporating: Hydrocarbon potential of the Eastern Africa offshore, including Somalia, authored by Bill St. John.
3
2005
Range Resources obtained farm-in deal with Puntland State. [Range is an Australian firm]. The agreement covers on hydrocarbons and mineral exploration in Puntland.
Range Resources won the exploration and development rights of some blocks originally negotiated by Conoco and other foreign oil companies during Siyad Barre’s regime in the 1980s. At 2006 and after 20 years, many of those exploration contracts expired though the companies declared “force majeure”.
4
2005
East African Petroleum Conference [EAPC] in Uganda for promotion of exploration of East Africa
The presentations unveiled the petroleum Potential and Investment Opportunities in East Africa, in particular the East Coast and Horn of Africa.
5
2003
Rovagold Energy Corp., UK to explore oil in Somaliland in coastal area of southeast Berbera.
Explore, develop and produce oil and gas from blocks 35, 36, M-10 and M-10A, previously operated by Amoco, a company that declared force majeure in 1989.
6
2002
Michael Brady’s technical talk at Kansas State Univ. for Kansas Geological Society
A summary of past hydrocarbon exploration activities and the hydrocarbon potential of Somalia.
7
2001
Arta Transitional National Government awarded exploration concession to Total-Fina-Elf (French company).
Total-Fina-Elf’s concession consisted of several coastal blocks (12, 9 and 6) previously awarded to Amoco and AGIP, south of Mogadishu from Afgoye – Marka to the delta of Juba River in Kismayo, and beyond to Ras Kiyamboni.
8
1999
Al Consulting, a Canadian firm undertook hydrocarbon potential of the Eastern African margin, studying 11 countries, including Somalia
Al-Consulting produced a hydrocarbon potential report on Somalia.
9
1992
· World Bank: African Exploration Opportunities: Somali and East African Rift Basins, 1992
· Robertson Research geochemical department carried out the studies.
· A study of the geological setting, basin development and tectonic history, petroleum habits and field economics for Somalia, Ethiopia and northern Kenya.
· Robertson Research geochemistry department (UK) carried out geochemical studies on cores and samples extracted from 27 exploration wells drilled in Somalia. The data analysed and accumulated in database consist of source rock occurrence, type and maturity, along with oils typing and correlation, and oil to source rock correlation.
10
1991
World Bank coordinated initiative launched by AAPG, Eastern Hemisphere Group in London
Encouraging private investment to develop the petroleum potential of 8 African sub-Saharan countries. Somalia and Sudan ranked at the top of the list of the eight.
11
In 5 decades
The Ministry + oil companies + donors from the international community + World Bank
Funded to Drill 70 exploratory wells in Somalia in about 60 years of exploration. Some of them were promising. Currently, Somalia is under-explored and became neglected.
12
1991
The National Exploration Archive of the Ministry of Minerals & Water Resources
The archive, stores and the database were burnt, looted and destroyep
13
1989
Brady et al
Evaluation of Hydrocarbon potential of Somalia.
14
1960 - 1990
Ministry of Petroleum, Minerals & Water Resources: Built Stores, archive and database
The ministry built a National Exploration Archive in which confidential and un-confidential documents, cores and seismic data were stored.
15
1988 - 1991
Report on World Bank-coordinated activity, headed by Thomas E. O’Connor, ZR Beydoun from Marathon Oil and others.
The activity was funded by the World bank, UNDP, Canada, France and UK in addition to some western oil companies. The activity focused on regional hydrocarbon study of the countries bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. [Saudi Arabia did not participate]. The study indicated that there is good potential for oil and gas deposits in Northern Somalia
16
1988
Special paper of the Geological Society of America by Millard F. Coffin and Phillip D. Rabinowitz
Evolution of the Conjugate East African – Madagascan margins and the western Somali Basin. This paper discusses the geologic evolution of the conjugate sedimentary basins and margins produced during the early break-up of Gondowanaland. It utilises interpretations drawn from outcrop, industrial onshore drilling, Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) offshore drilling and numerous data from the region of East Africa, including Somalia.
17
1980s
12 International oil companies, including Conoco, Amoco, Arco, Chevron, Shell (Pecten), Phillips and Agip, ENI, sought and obtained exploration rights in Somalia
Oil companies leased exploration blocks in the North, Northeast and Central Somalia to explore and develop oil and gas.
18
1977
Hilal AF, Pvan G and Robba E published the stratigraphy of the Somali sedimentary basins
Geologia stratigrafica della Somalia, Quaderni Di Geologia, Vol. 1, pp. 19 -50, Facolta’ Di Geologia, Univ. Naz. Som, Mogadishu
19
1976
Barnes SU of Sinclair Somal Corporation (1955 -1960)
Geology and oil prospects of Somalia, East Africa, AAPG, Vol. 60, no.3, pp.389 -413
20
1975
Rompetrol of Romania (state-owned oil company)
Considerations on the oil prospects of the Democratic Republic of Somalia; unpublished, Bucharest, Romania.
21
1973
Beltrandi M. and Pyre A
Geological evolution of SW Somalia; in Blant G, ED.; Sedimentary basins of S and E African Coast; pp. 152 -178, Ass. Serv. Geol. Afrique; Paris .
22
1972
The geological survey team of the People’s Republic of China
Report on petroleum and coal survey of the Somali Democratic Republic; Beijing
23
1972
The Scientific Team
Deep Sea Drilling Project; Legs 23 -25, Geotimes, Vol. 17 (7)
1960
Lyons P. and Benison A. of Sinclair Somali Corporation
Somalia: Geological and geophysical report, unpublished, Mogadishu, Somalia.
25
1957 - 1977
AGIP Mineraria – AGIP Somalia
Unpublished reports, Mogadishu; Somalia.
26
1968
Andrews SM; Sinclair Somalia corporation
Unpublished final report, Mogadishu; Somalia.
27
1950 - 1970
Oil companies (AGIP and Sinclair)
For 2 decades companies worked actively, though their reports were confidential and unaccessible.
28
1960
Azzaroli A. and Merla G.
The geologic map of the Somali peninsula
29
1958
Azzaroli A. and Merla G.
Geologic map of Somalia and Ethiopia.
30
1948
In Kenya, Dixey published a report
The Jurassic succession of NE Kenya and the Juba River (the Jubaland)
31
1954
The Somaliland Oil Exploration Company Ltd.
Geological reconnaissance of the sedimentary deposits of the protectorate of British Somaliland
Source: Petrosom, Nov 22, 2007
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