The CGG Veritas seismic vessel Duke is shooting about 2200km of 2D seismic data north of the Raukumara Peninsula, off the East Coast, and a further 300km off the southern Wairarapa Coast.
Crown Minerals petroleum unit manager Mark Aliprantis said the survey was part of the government’s efforts to acquire data under the 2004 $NZ15 million fund established to lift petroleum exploration levels in New Zealand.
The program comprises 2D seismic, gravity and magnetic surveying.
Aliprantis said existing East Coast and Wairarapa seismic data showed both areas contained features likely to be of interest to exploration companies.
“The data will be offered freely to explorers to promote and encourage petroleum exploration activities in the hope that it will lead to the discovery of new petroleum reserves,” he said.
He said Crown Minerals’ two previous seismic data acquisition programs had already had positive results.
The 2005 Crown Minerals program led to it awarding US independent Pogo Producing Company an exploration permit of over 8000 square kilometres, covering 80% of an East Coast survey area.
The Duke recently finished a substantial survey, of up to 2000km, for Pogo over the enlarged licence PEP 38344 to identify drillable targets.
Then last year, 3160km of 2D seismic was acquired across the Great South Basin, to the south and southwest of the South Island, in preparation for the recent blocks offer over the acreage.
Last month, Associate Energy Minister Harry Duynhoven said there was a good level of interest in the GSB blocks but gave no indication of the explorers involved or the number of bids received for the 40 permits, each about 9000sq.km, offered.
He said he expected to announce the results in July.
Aliprantis said explorers were showing a “most encouraging” level of interest in the state-funded seismic program.
“We believe this program, coupled with changes to royalty rates and the tax treatment of exploration workers, is proving successful in raising interest in New Zealand as an exploration destination,” he said.
