Houston based services giant Schlumberger and Norway geophysical company TGS announced on 6 September that they are launching a new 3D seismic reimaging project at Block 2 in the Egyptian Red Sea. Block-2 lies at the northern end of acreage on offer in a ten block Red Sea bid round scheduled to close 15 September (MEES, 15 March). The firms last year shot 2D seismic across a 10,000km² area of the Egyptian Red Sea in a multi-client survey made available to prospective bidders in the current round.

Schlumberger says the new 3D data will be available before the bid round closes. This would appear to suggest a further delay to the bid round, which has already been pushed back from its initial 1 August closing (MEES, 5 July). Block 2 is considered the most prospective of the acreage on offer. US firm Hess drilled a dry well here in 2011. It is also relatively near to where Saudi Arabia made the Shuar discovery, 25km offshore Duba in 2012. Riyadh plans to intensify drilling in the region over the next two years (MEES, 8 March). (CONTINUED - 225 WORDS)