The SundayStar Times newspaper reports that the global oil giant has asked the High Court to rule on a wrangle involving seismic data shot about two years ago by a Fugro-Geoteam survey for the partners in the former Bounty Oil-operated licence PEP 38215, but acquired later by ExxonMobil.

The dispute centres on Crown Minerals’ demands that ExxonMobil make available all PEP 38215 data, as usually is required by joint ventures that relinquish licences or have them revoked.

However, the oil giant says it was never a partner in the permit and is therefore not legally required to surrender the seismic it reportedly paid $US3.2 million ($A4.5 million) for last year.

ExxonMobil New Zealand (Exploration) spokesman Peter Thornbury was quoted as saying the government had provided no credible legal basis as to why it was entitled to the data. He said a declaratory High Court judgement was set down for May 2.

Crown Minerals group manager Adam Feeley is reported as saying the government unit is entitled to all information, as Crown Minerals has already revoked Bounty Oil’s operatorship of the permit.

But Feeley declined to comment further to EnergyReview.net today, saying the matter was now before the courts and therefore sub judice.

Bounty Oil is also pursuing legal avenues of redress and its High Court case against Crown Minerals is scheduled to start in Wellington just two weeks after the ExxonMobil matter. Bounty believes it was unfairly treated by Crown Minerals regarding its permit revocation last year.

The Polar Duke seismic vessel acquired about 2000km of 2D seismic in early 2004 for Bounty Oil, which was to be free-carried through a farm-out to British company Electro Silica. However, the UK company never fulfilled its licence obligations and Fugro-Geoteam later sold the data to ExxonMobil.

Crown Minerals is to officially open up swathes of the Great South Basin later this month when it calls for bids for 40 blocks covering about 360,000 square kilometres.