ABSTRACT

The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden rift basin has an exploration well density of approximately one well per 12,700 km², largely due to the areas's reputation

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for high heat flow, and apparent gas-proneness. Available evidence, however, suggests that there is considerable petroleum potential.

The Red Sea/Gulf of Aden Regional Hydrocarbon Study Project was conceived in 1987 with the objective of reactivating oil and gas exploration in this basin, through a complete re-evaluation of the basin's database. Executed by the World Bank, the project has been financed by grants from the UNDP, and several donor governments, including that of Canada, with government participation by all countries that share the basin.

Oil company views were obtained from a series of in-depth interviews as to why they were not actively exploring the basin, and the results were incorporated into the project design. Methods were developed to ensure that the results were relevant to the requirements of industry and the scientific community.

Using a basin-wide approach, the comprehensive government-supplied database was integrated into regional overviews of structural evolution, sedimentary response, geothermal heat flow, and source rock maturity and kitchen depocentres. A computerized index of databases available in each country has been established. The results of this work are progressively published as they are obtained. The results confirm that the basin is prospective for the exploration of both petroleum and natural gas.

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