AAPG’s Latin American and Caribbean Region hosted a highly successful workshop at the Association’s first event in Suriname held November 2019.
The Geosciences Technology Workshop (GTW) entitled Recent Discoveries and Exploration and Development Opportunities in the Guiana Basin, took place at the Torarica Hotel in Paramaribo on November 6-7.
Staatsolie, Suriname’s national oil company, regulatory agency and principal event sponsor, organized Cultural Night the evening before the workshop started. The festivities, held at Paramaribo’s historic Fort Zeelandia, featured Surinamese music, food and dance. The cultural night provided a colorful welcome to the country and enabled participants to connect prior starting the conference.
The two workshop days were packed with presentations and roundtable discussions on the following technical themes: Tectonostratigraphic Setting and Petroleum Systems of the Guiana Basin; Maximizing Resource Potential in Emerging Basins; Enhancing Exploration and Development Through New Technologies and Data Management; and Beyond Guiana: Emerging Plays, Prospects and Discoveries in the Caribbean and Atlantic Margin.
The final session, Government-Industry-Community: Strategies for Emerging Hydrocarbon Economies, featured the participation of Melvin Bouva, Vice Speaker of Parliament; Dave Abeleven, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources; Rudolf Elias, CEO of Staatsolie; as well as industry representatives from Petronas and Tullow. AAPG LACR President Elvira Pureza Gómez moderated a panel discussion with the speakers, who discussed technology transfer, contractual incentives and education, among other topics.
The workshop’s 145 event participants came from 16 countries and represented 51 companies, three professional associations and five government entities.
While in Paramaribo, AAPG organized additional activities to reach students and young professionals in the area. Student-Professional Networking Receptions held on November 6 and 7 allowed students from the Anton de Kom University of Suriname to interact with technical professionals and managers attending the workshop.
University students also had the opportunity to attend talks by two of the region’s Visiting Geoscientists (VGs). Vitor Abreu delivered the lecture Sequence Stratigraphy: Past, Present and Future at the Hotel Torarica on 6 November, and 18 students and young professionals attended. Xavier Moonan delivered the talk Unraveling the Jamine Complex Offshore Gas Prospect, SW Tobago: a Peer Review at the Anton de Kom University of Suriname campus on 8 November, and 12 students attended.
The AAPG Latin America and Caribbean Region extends special thanks to General Chairs Clyde Griffith, Suriname Ministry of Natural Resources; Xavier Moonan, Touchstone Exploration; and Elvira Pureza Gómez, AAPG LACR President for their work putting together the program and to Marny Daal of Staatsolie, for serving as Convener and securing local participation. The Region also thanks volunteers Saraodjenie, Morgan, Fariel, Esperanza, Kishan, Jean and Noel for their support during the event.