After Noble Energy discovered the Tamar gas field in 2009 in the Levant basin of the Eastern Mediterranean, major hydrocarbon discoveries have been made in this area successively, such as Leviathan and Karish, suggesting good exploration prospects of deepwater (> 1,000m) across the basin.
Main reservoir distribution
The main reservoir is distributed in the Oligocene-Lower Miocene Tamar stacked turbidite sandstone with the Miocene mudstone as the main seal. Secondary reservoirs are present in Cretaceous and Jurassic sandstones. Traps are structural and stratigraphic, with anticlines formed as a result of Cretaceous compression. Post-depositional rifting created NW-SE-oriented normal faults, which, combined with shale between reservoir layers, can generate fluid flow baffles.
Reservoir quality is high, with net-to-gross >75% alongside porosities as high as 20%. In Tamar, all wells encountered a single gas-water contact, suggesting hydraulic connectivity across the field.
Eastern Mediterranean expertise since 2001
OPC’s history in the Eastern Mediterranean begins in 2001, with a project covering seismic modelling of blocks 165 and 166, which the client decided not to drill. Fast forward, OPC supported the initial characterisation during the exploratory and development drilling of Leviathan, Karish, Tamar, and, more recently, Athena. OPC has provided a combination of exploration, appraisal, and development services across the basin.
