3D Oil Exploration Slated for Jamaica's South Coastal Seafloor

3D seismic surveys of Jamaica's south coastal seafloor are to be conducted by British firm Tullow Oil Limited as part of the island's efforts to discover oil and gas in conjunction with the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, or PCJ.

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Brian Richardson, PCJ's oil and gas manager, made the news public during a Jamaica Information Service Think Tank at the Agency Head Office in the capital of Kingston. The survey will take place between Pedro Banks and Portland Cottage.

Over a 60-day period, a survey boat will record 3D imagery of rock layers below the seafloor in order to detect oil and gas reserves, according to the Jamaica Information Service.

The 3D survey will take "snapshots of the surface in order to get a more holistic view" of the area, said Richardson, noting that Tullow will have a better idea of whether they'll go ahead with drilling "probably beyond the year 2020" after the survey is complete and data analyzed.

Winston Watson, PCJ group general manager, said: "We are fairly optimistic that there is something out there."

PCJ and Tullow signed a Production Sharing Agreement in 2014. Two years later, Tullow conducted a 2D survey of the area which lasted almost three weeks.

Late last year, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, Jamaica's minister of Science, Energy and Technology, informed the House of Representatives that Jamaica is being adversely affected by U.S. sanctions against Venezuela.

The sanctions, issued in August, mean payments to and from Petrojam – Jamaica's sole petroleum refinery, jointly owned by PCJ and Venezuela's PDV Caribe – are subjected to increased due diligence by primary financiers and suppliers of lines of credit, the Jamaica Observer reports.