The Zama Oil Discovery: From a Collaboration of Detailed Seismic Reprocessing Integrated with a Geological Understanding of the Reservoir Play System, Trap and Seal Capacity

The Zama discovery in 2017 is a key achievement of the 2013 Mexico energy reform, being drilled less than three years from the award of the first 1.1 offshore license round. The estimated Zama Discovery STOOIP (oil-in-place), is in the range of 1.5 to 2 bnboe and a high recovery factor is anticipated from its burial depth and relative simplicity of the oil accumulation. Zama has been described by the industry as one of the 20 largest shallow-water finds in the past 20 years and first private sector oil discovery in Mexico in 79 years. Within Mexico, Zama represents the 15th largest oil discovery in Mexico's history and the only clastic discovery in the Top 20 fields of Mexico.

This paper explains the integrated approach that led to the drilling of the Zama-1 well, starting from establishing regional reservoir fairway trends within the Miocene alongside the regional oil charge model from CNH data-pack / published data, then seismic data reprocessing to improve the trap imaging & pre-stack gather analysis for AVO analysis. This was combined with dry hole analysis of the offshore Sureste Basin wells, and a seal capacity prediction to mature the Zama prospect to be drilled.