The company hopes the exploration survey, which it started late January and expects to complete in about six months, will provide key information about the basin's structure.

This survey is the first stage of a planned ongoing work program of Baraka’s five Taoudeni Basin blocks – 1,2,3,4 and 9 – which cover a total of 193,200 square kilometres and extend to the Mauritanian border.

To date, over 17,000 kms of lines have been flown in excellent conditions, Baraka said.

Baraka's Chief Operating Officer Dr Satyavan Reymond said the survey provided the company with the opportunity to generate “excellent” data on the Taoudeni Basin, with all data validated daily by the company’s Perth-based quality control team in Perth.