Completion of Mongolian Seismic Campaign 2011

Gobi planned to acquire the most important phases before the beginning of winter and to complete the programme in 2012, subject to new information resulting out of the seismic of 2011. On 25^th November 2011, after completing the first seven phases and the key line of the last phase, Manas finished the seismic programme after having acquired more data than initially planned and in the face of winter conditions (snow and temperatures of minus 21 degrees C).

A total of 1,311km full-fold data was acquired without any incident. Gobi is using the winter months to interpret the data. If, after interpretation of the current data set, Gobi determines that it requires additional data, such data would be acquired in 2012.

The specifics of this survey included a real-time check process enabling the operator to adjust the programme on a just-in-time basis. After quality control by field processing, accepted data was sent via internet to the fast track processing office and then forwarded on to the G&G team for fast interpretation. This enabled individual lines as well as whole phases to be changed to the required focus. Thus the survey was not only very cost-efficient but also resulted in a very prospect-oriented seismic programme.

Final seismic processing and interpretation has already begun. Gobi is currently focusing on six areas in order to meet the corporate goal of entering into a drilling contract by the end of the first quarter of 2012 and spud the first well before the end of the second quarter.