U.K. independent Aminex has kicked off a 2D seismic survey in the transition zone offshore Tanzania and is lining up another in deeper water later this year, as it bids to join the growing band of companies experiencing outstanding exploration success off the coast of East Africa.

The company is underway with a 335 km survey in the Nyuni area license, targeting the transition zone (shelf area) of the license between the coast and the deepwater section of the block.

A combination of ocean bottom cable (OBC) and a marine seismic source will be used in the shallow water and a land-based seismic source on the emergent reefs and islands.

This is the first time that the OBC technique has been used for a license-wide survey in the transition zone environment in this part of East Africa, where Aminex said conventional shallow water seismic has proven to be less effective due to the number of reefs and islands restricting access to seismic vessels towing streamers.

The survey is expected to take around six weeks to complete, following which the data will be processed and interpreted.

Aminex is also planning a program of more than 500 km of 2D marine seismic in the deepwater portion of the Nyuni Area license in the second half of this year.

The combined transition zone and deepwater seismic programs will fulfil the seismic work required under the initial work period of the Nyuni area production sharing agreement (PSA), which extends through October 2013.

Chief executive, Stuard Detmer, said, “The transition zone seismic survey will provide significantly improved definition of existing structural leads and unprecedented imaging of the stratigraphic potential that has proven so successful in the deepwater. The combined results of the two Nyuni Area seismic surveys will be used to target future drilling in the transition zone and deepwater sections of the block.”

Partners in the Nyuni Area PSA are: Ndovu Resources Ltd. (Aminex), 70%, and operator; RAK Gas Commission, 25%; and Bounty Oil and Gas NL, 5%.