Curaçao-Bonaire Basin: A Geological Treasure for Oil Exploration

CURAÇAO–ARUBA OFFSHORE PETROLEUM SYSTEMS

GLIAG N.V. — GOLDEN LANE INVESTMENTS ADVISORY GROUP

CURAÇAO–ARUBA OFFSHORE PETROLEUM SYSTEMS

From the Deep Bonaire Basin to a Sovereign 2D Seismic Intelligence Architecture

A geological, petroleum-systems and exploration-strategy essay

Marcel Chin-A-Lien
Petroleum and Energy Advisor
Principal Founding Partner and Chief Architect of GLIAG N.V.
Golden Lane Investments Advisory Group

GLIAG Publication ID: GLIAG-CAS-2026-001  |  29 July 2026  |  Zoetermeer, The Netherlands

Executive résumé

Curaçao and Aruba occupy a strategically important but incompletely tested position between the petroleum-proven continental margin of northern South America and the tectonically complex Caribbean Plate. Their offshore potential cannot be established by geographical proximity to Venezuela alone. The decisive question is whether one or more complete petroleum systems exist in which source, maturity, migration, reservoir, trap, seal, timing and preservation coincide at commercially meaningful scale.

The strongest initial Curaçao exploration case lies south and southeast of the island, where the northern flank of the deep Bonaire Basin may contain mature Paleogene or Neogene source kitchens. Petroleum generated in the deeper basin could have migrated updip into Tertiary turbidite systems, shelfal clastics, carbonate margins and structures formed during extension, strike-slip deformation and later inversion.

Aruba provides the nearest direct subsurface calibration. Chuchubi-1 demonstrated a thick Cenozoic carbonate succession offshore Aruba, while later Repsol drilling confirmed continued industry interest. Yet the public record remains insufficient to determine whether past failures reflected absence of source, failed migration, inadequate reservoir, trap breach or poor seismic imaging.

Do not market geological hope. Transform geological uncertainty into investable, scientifically structured risk.

Principal GLIAG conclusions

• Prioritise the southern and southeastern Curaçao–Bonaire Basin margin over an equal north–south allocation.

• Treat a Perla analogue as a strict geological test, not as a promotional label for every Miocene carbonate feature.

• Acquire long-offset, broadband, true-amplitude 2D seismic in two intersecting directions, integrated with gravity, magnetics and modern bathymetry.

• Design the first regional grid to detect basin architecture and structures capable of hosting giant accumulations; use infill 2D and then 3D to mature individual prospects.

• Recover and independently reinterpret all Aruba, Oxy, Repsol, Venezuelan, Maraven, La Vela and Cardón IV data before fixing the final navigation plan.

• Maintain sovereign ownership, permanent access and derivative-use rights over all field, processed and interpretive data.

1. Geological setting: a plate-boundary frontier, not a passive margin

Curaçao and Aruba form part of the Leeward Antilles, a tectonic province shaped by the interaction of the Caribbean Plate and northern South America. The regional geological record includes Late Cretaceous oceanic plateau and arc-related basement, Paleogene extension, pull-apart and transtensional basin development, Neogene fault reactivation, structural inversion, uplift and carbonate-platform growth.

This complexity creates both opportunity and risk. Fault-controlled accommodation can generate deep sedimentary kitchens and large structural closures, but the same fault systems may segment reservoirs or provide leakage pathways. Volcanic and carbonate velocity contrasts can also produce severe depth uncertainty and false seismic amplitude anomalies.

The first scientific task is therefore not simply to identify anticlines. It is to determine where sufficient sediment thickness, source-rock quality, thermal maturity, reservoir delivery, sealing and trap timing occur together.

2. The Falcón–Bonaire Basin connection

The most important regional analogue for southern Curaçao is the Falcón–Bonaire basin system. Published structural and seismic studies describe a Cenozoic province containing several kilometres of sedimentary fill, fault-bounded depocentres, rotated blocks, strike-slip structures and later inversion. These processes created the essential geometric ingredients of a petroleum system: kitchens, migration pathways, reservoir fairways and traps.

The deep Bonaire Basin is particularly important. If organic-rich Paleogene or Miocene marine shales were deposited and buried to sufficient depth, they may have generated oil, gas or both. Petroleum could then have migrated vertically along faults and laterally updip through carrier beds toward the southern Curaçao basin margin.

This kitchen-to-margin model is more defensible than assuming direct and uninterrupted continuity of the La Luna Formation beneath the ABC islands. La Luna remains an important regional analogue, but its local presence must be demonstrated rather than presumed.

3. Possible source-rock systems

Source-rock candidate	Age	Most relevant location	Exploration significance
La Luna and regional Upper Cretaceous equivalents	Cenomanian–Campanian	Northern Venezuela and Colombia	World-class marine oil source; local continuity beneath ABC islands unproven
Local Upper Cretaceous arc-basin marine shale	Late Cretaceous	Possible offshore ABC remnants	Potential oil/gas source, but presently speculative
Pecaya-type marine shale	Oligocene–early Miocene	Falcón–Bonaire system	Important Tertiary source candidate
Agua Clara-type marine shale	Oligocene–Miocene	Falcón and La Vela	Possible source and regional seal
Restricted syn-rift marine shale	Eocene–Oligocene	Deep Bonaire Basin	Strong untested southern Curaçao source-kitchen hypothesis
Miocene marine and deltaic shale	Miocene	Basin margins and depocentres	Mixed Type II/III source; oil and gas potential
Microbial gas system	Neogene–Recent	Shallow Gulf of Venezuela-type basins	Relevant to a Perla-style gas-charge concept

The principal scientific value of the Tertiary-source hypothesis is that the Curaçao–Aruba exploration case does not collapse if La Luna is absent. Falcón oils and seeps demonstrate that younger petroleum systems may be regionally significant. This makes the deep Bonaire Basin a legitimate exploration focus in its own right.

4. Reservoir, trap and seal architecture

4.1 Deep-water clastic reservoirs

The primary southern Curaçao reservoir concept consists of Paleogene and Neogene turbidite systems: submarine channels, channel–levee complexes, frontal splays, ponded fans and basin-floor lobes. The best targets would be stacked sandstone bodies connected to mature kitchens and sealed by regionally continuous marine shale.

4.2 Shelfal and proximal reservoirs

Shoreface, deltaic, shelf-edge and incised-valley sandstones may occur closer to the island-facing basin margin. These units could provide better sorting and shallower drilling targets, but may face stronger cementation, biodegradation, erosional and seal risks.

4.3 Carbonate and Seroe Domi analogues

Neogene carbonate platforms, margins, build-ups, debris aprons and dolomitised bodies may provide additional reservoir systems. Seroe Domi-type facies are useful depositional analogues, but they do not prove direct offshore reservoir continuity. In seismic interpretation, carbonate build-ups must also be distinguished from volcanic or basement highs.

4.4 Structural and stratigraphic traps

Potential traps include rotated fault blocks, rollover structures, flower structures, restraining-bend anticlines, inversion folds, drape over basement highs, channel margins, fan pinch-outs and onlap beneath unconformities. The highest-value prospects may be combination traps rather than simple four-way closures.

5. Aruba and Venezuelan calibration

Well/campaign	Operator/date	Public result	Implication for Curaçao–Aruba
Curaçao offshore	No publicly verified offshore petroleum well	Uncalibrated frontier	Modern regional data required before prospect claims
Chuchubi-1, Aruba	Occidental/Oxy, c. 1990	Approx. 9,210 ft; thick Pliocene–Oligocene and possible Eocene carbonate section	Proves substantial Cenozoic section; source, charge and commercial reservoir remain unresolved
Other historical Aruba wells	Late 1980s–early 1990s	Four historical drilling locations reported by Aruba government	Complete well files must be recovered; failure modes cannot be inferred
Repsol Aruba well	2018	Modern offshore test; no commercial discovery publicly reported	Most important modern calibration; official well name, logs and failure analysis needed
Perla-1X	Repsol–Eni, 2009	Giant gas discovery; thick gas-bearing Lower Miocene carbonates	Proves giant carbonate gas play in Gulf of Venezuela
Perla-2X	Repsol–Eni, 2010	Approx. 260 m net carbonate pay; high-rate gas and condensate test	Confirmed reservoir continuity and exceptional deliverability
Maraven Tuy–Cariaco campaign	1978–1982	15 wells; hydrocarbon indications in MTC-1X and EBC-1X; no economic discovery	Illustrates source and calibration risks in underexplored Caribbean basins

A dry or non-commercial well can still be scientifically valuable. It may prove reservoir presence, identify immature source sections, reveal trap breach or demonstrate that earlier seismic imaging was inadequate. For this reason, the Oxy and Repsol Aruba files should be treated as national and regional subsurface assets rather than merely as records of failure.

6. Is a Perla analogue possible?

Perla is an exceptional Lower Miocene carbonate gas field in the Cardón IV Block. A valid analogue requires far more than Miocene carbonate presence. It requires thick effective reservoir, large closure, gas charge, migration access, regional seal, correct timing and long-term preservation.

Area	Perla-analogue ranking	Reason
Southeastern/southern Aruba	Medium–high	Closest ABC setting to Gulf of Venezuela and Paraguaná-related carbonate and gas systems
Northeastern Aruba	Medium	Thick carbonates proven by Chuchubi-1, but charge and structural context unresolved
Southwestern Curaçao	Medium	Most plausible Curaçao area for a direct Venezuelan-margin carbonate-gas analogy
South–southeastern Curaçao	Medium for Perla; high for broader PS	Strong kitchen-to-margin concept, but turbidite and mixed plays may be more likely than a direct Perla duplicate
Deep Bonaire Basin	Low for direct Perla; high for source kitchen	Potential generation domain rather than shallow carbonate accumulation
North Curaçao	Low	Basin, source, reservoir and seal remain insufficiently demonstrated

Curaçao may contain a Perla-scale accumulation without containing a Perla-type reservoir.

7. Proposed 2D seismic coverage design

Figure 1. Preliminary conceptual survey grid. Not for navigation, licensing or maritime-boundary use.

7.1 Survey allocation

Survey component	Indicative line-km	Purpose
Southern Curaçao–Bonaire Basin regional grid	1,250–1,500 km	Primary basin and petroleum-system imaging
Southwestern transition grid	400–550 km	Test Venezuelan-margin and carbonate-gas concepts
Northern Curaçao reconnaissance	700–900 km	Establish basin existence, sediment thickness and structural style
Regional tie lines and Aruba calibration	250–400 km	Connect key wells and regional framework
Regional Phase I total	2,600–3,350 km	First decision gate
Targeted Phase II infill	1,800–2,700 km	Mature best fairways prior to 3D

7.2 Acquisition directions and spacing

Primary basin-normal lines should run broadly NNE–SSW to NNW–SSE, crossing the Curaçao margin, basin-bounding faults and deep Bonaire Basin depocentres. Longitudinal lines should run broadly WNW–ESE to ENE–WSW to map closure length, depositional continuity and fault segmentation.

• Southern regional grid: 8 km primary-line spacing and 16 km tie-line spacing.

• Southwestern transition: 8 km primary spacing and 12–16 km ties.

• Northern reconnaissance: 10–12 km primary spacing and 20–24 km ties.

• Priority-fairway infill: 4 km primary spacing and 4–8 km ties.

• Selective 2 km infill only in structurally complex areas before 3D.

7.3 Acquisition quality

Parameter	Recommended objective
Survey type	Long-offset, broadband, true-amplitude 2D marine seismic with gravity and magnetics
Streamer	12–15 km, subject to illumination modelling
Record length	16–18 seconds TWT
Sample interval	1–2 ms
Shot interval	Approx. 18.75–25 m
Receiver group interval	Approx. 6.25–12.5 m
Bandwidth objective	Usable 2.5–100 Hz; aspirational 2–120 Hz where signal-to-noise permits
Processing	Deghosting, designature, SRME, Q compensation, anisotropic tomography, FWI, PSTM and selected PSDM
DHI analysis	Amplitude-preserved angle gathers, AVO screening, spectral decomposition and intersecting-line confirmation

Flat spots and bright spots should be treated as non-unique evidence. In this setting, volcanic rocks, carbonates, multiples, side-swipe and residual velocity error can generate false anomalies. A DHI observed on a single 2D line should support a lead but should not be used as stand-alone proof of hydrocarbons.

8. Conceptual stratigraphic framework

Figure 2. Conceptual petroleum-systems columns compiled from published regional data; not a well-calibrated local stratigraphy.

The southern column emphasises a possible Tertiary source-kitchen interval beneath Miocene turbidite and carbonate reservoirs. The northern column remains intentionally more uncertain. The Aruba column is better constrained by Chuchubi-1 and regional Falcón–Perla analogues, but source, maturity and migration still require direct calibration.

9. From seismic acquisition to sovereign acreage strategy

The proposed survey should not end with a set of migrated seismic sections. Its real deliverable should be a sovereign offshore intelligence architecture containing basin maps, source scenarios, maturity models, migration fairways, play maps, common-risk segments, lead inventories, probabilistic volumetrics and investor-ready licensing sectors.

The multi-client model may reduce direct public expenditure, but Curaçao must retain ownership or perpetual rights over field data, processed products, navigation, velocity models, processing histories, metadata and derivative interpretations. Exclusivity should be finite, data pricing transparent and knowledge transfer mandatory.

Commercialise access without surrendering sovereign control.

10. Final GLIAG opinion

The geological case for a modern Curaçao offshore reconnaissance programme is credible and strategically timely. It is strongest south and southeast of Curaçao, where the deep Bonaire Basin offers the best integrated source–maturity–migration hypothesis. The southwest deserves targeted investigation for Venezuelan-margin and Perla-style carbonate concepts. The north should remain a reconnaissance frontier until a sedimentary basin and viable source system are demonstrated.

The programme should be designed to test complete petroleum systems, not merely to produce attractive maps or bright-spot images. A structure is only valuable when it can be connected to a credible reservoir, seal and charge system formed in the correct sequence.

GLIAG therefore recommends a phased regional survey of approximately 2,600–3,350 line-km, followed by 1,800–2,700 km of targeted infill only where the regional interpretation demonstrates coherent kitchen, migration, reservoir and trap relationships. Three-dimensional seismic should then be acquired over no more than the strongest two or three leads.

The geological case is strong enough to investigate. It is not yet strong enough to proclaim.

Selected researched reports and publications

• AAPG / Search and Discovery — Chuchubi-1 offshore Aruba sequence stratigraphy

• AAPG Explorer — Maraven’s Tuy–Cariaco exploration campaign offshore Venezuela

• GeoScienceWorld — Subsurface geology of La Vela Basin, offshore Venezuela

• USGS — La Luna petroleum source system

• Government of Aruba — CAP agreement with Andicuri Oil & Gas Exploration / Armstrong

• Government of Aruba — Armstrong exploration status and historical drilling context

• Offshore Energy — Repsol/West Capella Aruba drilling programme

• Eni — Perla giant gas field production

• Repsol — Perla-2X appraisal result

• Offshore Magazine — Perla field development and well results

• Government of Aruba / CBS — Review of Aruba geology, climate and hydrology

• Viridien — Malta integrated multi-client data project

Author and institutional identification

Marcel Chin-A-Lien — Petroleum and Energy Advisor

Principal Founding Partner and Chief Architect of GLIAG N.V. — Golden Lane Investments Advisory Group

Certified Petroleum Geologist — AAPG | European Geologist — EFG

Website: petroleumenergyinsights.com

Strict geological, technical and non-reliance disclaimer

This publication is an independent, preliminary and conceptual petroleum-intelligence assessment prepared for geological, strategic and exploratory discussion. It is not a certified reserve or resource report, competent-person report, securities disclosure, bankable feasibility study, licence application, seismic-acquisition tender, environmental or social impact assessment, maritime-boundary determination, navigational document, drilling recommendation, investment solicitation, or legal, fiscal, financial or regulatory advice.

The maps, survey polygons, line orientations, line spacing, line-kilometre estimates, acquisition parameters, stratigraphic columns, volumetric illustrations and petroleum-system interpretations are conceptual and based on publicly accessible regional information, professional geological reasoning and independent strategic judgment. No hydrocarbons, resources or reserves are asserted to exist. References to 500-million-barrel-class structures describe a survey-design objective, not an estimate of discovered or prospective petroleum.

All conclusions require verification using original seismic field data, navigation, well files, logs, cores, cuttings, laboratory analyses, environmental studies, maritime-boundary information, modern processing, depth imaging, three-dimensional seismic and exploratory drilling. Neither Marcel Chin-A-Lien nor GLIAG N.V. accepts liability for decisions, losses or claims arising from reliance on this publication.

Confidentiality, proprietary rights and copyright

© 2026 Marcel Chin-A-Lien and GLIAG N.V. — Golden Lane Investments Advisory Group. All rights reserved worldwide.

The title, structure, geological synthesis, petroleum-system framework, source-rock evaluation, survey-area prioritisation, seismic-grid architecture, acquisition specification, well interpretation, Perla-analogue screening, figures, maps, tables, terminology, strategic logic and recommendations constitute proprietary intellectual property.

No part may be copied, reproduced, translated, adapted, distributed, disclosed, uploaded, incorporated into an artificial-intelligence system, tender, licence proposal, government submission, investor presentation, data room, commercial model or derivative work without prior express written permission from Marcel Chin-A-Lien and GLIAG N.V.

Receipt or review does not transfer ownership, grant a licence, establish a partnership, create an advisory mandate or authorise reliance. Any authorised reproduction must retain the complete author attribution, GLIAG publication identification number, date, disclaimer, confidentiality notice and copyright clause.

GLIAG-CAS-2026-001  |  29 July 2026  |  Confidential & Proprietary