MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Offshore wins contract from Rockhopper

Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping plc heads for the Falkland Islands
Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping plc has been awarded a contract by Rockhopper Exploration plc, to conduct a Controlled Source
Electromagnetic Survey (CSEM) over a number of prospects including at least one
shallow water prospect in the North Falkland Basin.

This is one of OHM's first shallow water contracts since the Company formally launched its shallow water CSEM service in November, and the first time that CSEM will be used in the Falkland Islands. Until now, CSEM was most effective in very deep waters, however OHM has designed a method that overcomes the technical challenges of shallow water, and it can be used effectively in depths as shallow as 50 metres.

The Falkland Islands Government has licensed exploration acreage to a number of companies in water depths that range from 100 to 500 metres in the north and up to 3,000 metres to the south and west of the Islands.

OHM's Chief Executive Officer, Dave Pratt, commented: 'Our shallow water service generated significant industry interest at the launch last month and this early contract with Rockhopper Exploration is very pleasing.

'Given the relatively isolated nature of the Falklands, the highly variable water depths and associated high costs of drilling, it is essential to understand as much as possible about drilling prospects to minimize the risk of dry wells. We will be applying leading edge CSEM techniques to Rockhopper's prospects to help maximise their understanding.'