Environmental Baseline Survey, Blocks 11B/12B – South Africa – 2022 – TotalEnergies E&P South Africa B.V.

TotalEnergies E&P South Africa (TEEPSA) contracted Benthic Solutions Limited (BSL) for the provision of a regional campaign of Environmental Baseline Studies (EBS) within Block 11B/12B and along the Petro SA Block 9 pipeline corridor connected to Block 11B/12B located off the south coast of South Africa.
Survey operations were carried out aboard the Bourbon Evolution 807 between the 28th of November 2022 and the 18th of December 2022. Environmental operations were conducted within the Block 11B/12B and B9 PL corridor survey area to gather information on the physico-chemical and biological environment prior to commencing further drilling and possible development activities.
A time constraint on the survey scope was imposed due to the marginal weather conditions experienced onsite and the large survey area to cover (~18,870km2). As such, a priority list of operations was provided by TEEPSA, advised by BSL, to ensure data obtained within this survey covered a sufficient area of seabed before the exploration operations. The water depth in the survey area showed large variation ranging from 114m (B9 PL corridor) to 1,871m (B11B/12B Paddavissie) below sea level.
This survey included characterisation of the seabed and water column physico-chemistry and biology, as well as, opportunistic observations of marine megafauna by marine mammal observations (MMO) and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), to provide an understanding of the baseline conditions prior to commencing further drilling and development activities.

The main objectives for the survey were to:
• Acquire baseline data of sediment and water column physico-chemical characteristics within the survey area.
• Identify and assess any existing pollutants within the sediment and the water column, in particular, those related to oil and gas activities within the survey area.
• Identify sensitive habitats or species susceptible to disturbance from drilling and construction related activities.
• Establish an understanding of the natural variation in environmental conditions against which the environmental impact of future oil and gas operations can be assessed.

The sampling plan consisted of sediment and water column sampling combined with seabed video acquisition to provide a greater understanding of the regional seabed habitats. Opportunistic marine megafauna observations were also undertaken during the survey to provide an understanding of the marine mammal communities present in the Block.
Sampling locations were assigned prioritised rankings which included the development and the exploration areas of Block 11B/12B, the proposed pipeline corridor to Block 9, and sensitive areas (including the Kingklip Ridge and Kingklip Koppies. Consideration was given to areas of interest including marine protected areas, critical biodiversity areas, ecological support areas, TecGeo point locations, and possible underwater infrastructure.
The proposed pipeline corridor between Block 11B/12B and Block 9 consisted of eight sediment stations, two water sampling station and nine camera transects. A further six sampling stations, one water station and 18 camera transects were positioned throughout the rest of the Block for spacing to provide whole Block coverage or to cover areas of the seabed nearby sensitive areas.

Based on time constraints as a result of weather, the survey strategy was continually modified to acquire data for priority areas, or areas with no previous data, as agreed with the client.

TotalEnergies勘探与生产南非分公司（TEEPSA）与贝斯尼克解决方案有限公司（BSL）签订合同，负责在11B/12B区块及毗邻的Petro SA 9号区块输油管道走廊区域进行区域性环境基线研究（EBS）。该研究旨在收集有关物理化学和生物环境的信息，以便在开展进一步的钻探和可能的开发活动之前进行。调查作业于2022年11月28日至12月18日乘坐Bourbon Evolution 807号船进行。在11B/12B区块和B9 PL走廊调查区域内进行的环保作业，旨在收集有关物理化学和生物环境的信息，为后续的钻探和可能的开发活动奠定基础。由于现场边缘的天气条件和庞大的调查区域（约18,870平方公里），对调查范围的时间限制，TEEPSA根据BSL的建议提供了一项操作优先级列表，以确保在勘探作业之前，调查获得的数据覆盖了足够的海底面积。调查区域的水深变化较大，从114米（B9 PL走廊）到1,871米（B11B/12B Paddavissie）不等。此次调查包括海底和水柱物理化学及生物特征的表征，以及通过海洋哺乳动物观察（MMO）和被动声学监测（PAM）对海洋巨无霸的偶然观察，以了解在开始进一步的钻探和开发活动前的基线条件。调查的主要目标包括：

• 在调查区域内获取沉积物和水柱物理化学特性的基线数据。

• 识别和评估沉积物和水柱中存在的任何污染物，特别是与调查区域内石油和天然气活动相关的污染物。

• 识别敏感的生境或易受钻探和建设相关活动干扰的物种。

• 建立对环境条件自然变化的了解，以便评估未来石油和天然气操作的环境影响。

采样计划包括沉积物和水柱采样以及海底视频采集，以更深入地了解区域海底生境。在调查期间还进行了海洋巨无霸的偶然观察，以了解区块内的海洋哺乳动物群落。采样位置被赋予了优先级排名，包括11B/12B区块的开发和勘探区域、通往9号区块的拟议管道走廊以及敏感区域（包括Kingklip Ridge和Kingklip Koppies）。在考虑感兴趣的区域时，包括海洋保护区、关键生物多样性区域、生态支持区域、TecGeo点位置以及可能的水下基础设施。

11B/12B区块和9号区块之间的拟议管道走廊包括八个沉积物站、两个水样站和九个相机横断面。另外六个采样站、一个水站和18个相机横断面被布置在区块的其余部分，以提供整个区块的覆盖或覆盖附近敏感区域的海底区域。

由于天气原因导致的时间限制，调查策略不断调整，以获取优先区域或无先前数据的区域的数据，这已与客户达成一致。