Hansa Hydrocarbons Ltd. has been awarded a 100% interest in the G18, H16, M3, and N1 blocks (4Quads) offshore Netherlands for a term of six years.

It is anticipated that EBN, the Dutch state entity, will participate in the licenses at a level of 40% following an invitation in accordance with the Dutch mining law, according to a news release.

The 4Quads are located adjacent to the German/Dutch median line to the east and contiguous with the H and L blocks where Hansa holds a 20% interest. The prospective areas lie in shallow waters of approximately 35 m (115 ft) water depth and some 35 km (22 miles) to the north of the major NGT gas pipeline which offers an attractive solution for eventual export.

The prospectivity identified in the 4Quads is an extension of the Lower Rotliegend (Havel) play that has been tested successfully in the adjacent H and L blocks. Two prospects have been mapped within a mega closure tested by two NAM wells in the 1980s, both of which encountered gas in thin Carboniferous and Havel sandstones.

Proprietary work carried out by Hansa has demonstrated the likely development of thicker Havel sandstones over parts of the mega closure leading to the potential for some of the largest accumulations remaining in the basin. Seismic will be acquired to further delineate the prospectivity prior to drilling.