Flemish pass basin: Hydrocarbon prospectivity and potential deep water development

The Flemish Pass Basin, offshore Newfoundland, is located in 400 to 1,100 m of water east of the Grand Banks. It is separated from the Jeanne d'Arc Ba sin to the west by the Ridge Complex (Central Ridge). The Jeanne d'Arc Basi n contains 14 hydrocarbon discoveries, notable among them are the Hibernia, Terra Nova, White Rose, and the Hebron oil fields. Three hydrocarbon disco veries have been mode on the Ridge Complex. The Flemish Pass Basin has been explored by three wells and several seismic surveys. These data, which an available to the public through the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NOPB), show Early Cretaceous sandstone development and Kimmeridgia n age, mature source rocks. A number of large structural closures have also been mapped. In the past the Flemish Pass Basin attracted less exploration interest relative to the basins on the Grand Banks with which it shares a similar geologic and tectonic history. This may be due to the deeper water. This paper reviews the hydrocarbon resource potential of the Flemish Pass Basin and some of the challenges to future developments.