Are stratigraphic traps more risky?

This report examines exploration results for stratigraphic traps in clastic reservoirs drilled globally over the last decade through the analysis of 287 wells in a range of frontier to mature basins.

Historically, stratigraphic traps have been perceived to be more risky than other trap types. The report provides evidence that success rates have indeed been lower on average, but this is only part of the story. Success rates and finding costs can match or better structural traps in certain plays.
The success factors for exploring for stratigraphic traps have been identified and analogue play statistics compiled to provide useful independent calibration of risk and volume pre-drill.

Use the report to:

• Identify plays dependent on stratigraphic trapping explored in the last decade
• Understand key succesas factors necessary for exploring for stratigraphic traps
• Identify analogues and benchmark success rates and discovery sizes in different trap types
• Calibrate pre-drill risks and volumes using analogue stratigraphic play statistics

Report structure:

• Stratigraphic Trap Characteristics
• Stratigraphic Trap Performance
• Case Studies
  • Late Cretaceous Play – African Transform Margin
  • The North Sea and Carnarvon Basins
• Stratigraphic Trap Performance by Company (W40 – Westwood Global Energy benchmark group of 40 E&P companies)
• Selected examples of stratigraphic trap wells from the Wildcat database

Key Findings:

• Traps with a stratigraphic component are increasingly important and were targeted in 80 basins in the last 10 years with commercial discoveries made in 34
• Success rates in stratigraphic traps are found to be lower than other trap types on average but success rates can match or exceed other trap types in some basins.
• Stratigraphic traps have delivered larger than average discovery sizes for oil with a lower than average finding cost.
• Stratigraphic trap success rates in frontier/emerging plays are greater than their structural counterparts
• In certain mature basins an over-dependence on unreliable geophysical attributes has led to disappointing drilling performance.

Obtain the report

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Annual subscriptions to Westwood Global Energy Exploration reports are also available upon request.