Seismic vessel operators and survey providers have started 2023 with a boost from new contracts and rising interest in offshore hydrocarbon exploration
Shearwater GeoServices Holding won contracts to conduct two 3D seismic surveys over oil and gas fields in Brazil, starting this year. These time-lapse geophysical surveys will be over the Jubarte, Baleia Anã and Tartaruga Verde fields in the Campos basin offshore Brazil, with the first set to commence Q3 2023 and the other Q1 2024.
Petrobras will use data from these surveys to monitor the movement of oil within the fields since the previous 3D surveys were acquired, thus these are known as 4D surveys.
“We have a strong track record in Brazil and a well-established relationship with Petrobras,” said Shearwater chief executive Irene Waage Basili.
Also in Brazil, PGS will use two vessels in 2023 to undertake a 4D survey over the Barracuda and Caratinga oil fields in the Campos basin for state energy group Petrobras.
PGS plans to mobilise Ramform Victory to acquire the seismic data and PGS Apollo as a source vessel in Q2 2023, with the survey set to be completed in Q1 2024. The costs of mobilising Ramform Victory will be covered within the project contract.
PGS president and chief executive Rune Olav Pedersen said projects like these improve fleet utilisation in 2023. “Our visibility for 2023 is improving with increasing rates,” he said.
PGS has secured prefunding for a large multi-client 3D seismic survey in the Norwegian Sea. This 12,500-km2 survey will involve an unnamed Ramform Titan-class vessel over two seasons with mobilisation for the first season Q2 2023 and full survey completion scheduled for Q3 2024.
CGG and TGS announced plans for a new 3D multi-client survey offshore Brazil and a contract and an ocean bottom node (OBN) multi-client seismic survey in Norway.
In Brazil, they will shoot the Foz do Amazonas Phase II survey, covering 11,425 km2 of data to support exploration efforts in the basin. This area on Brazil’s equatorial margin is close to the Zaedyus oil discovery in French Guiana and on geological trend to the Narina and Venus wildcat discoveries offshore Liberia and Sierra Leone.
CGG and TGS expect initial data from the survey to be available Q4 2023, with final products available from Q3 2024.
In Norway, both companies will undertake a dense OBN seismic survey in the Sleipner area of the North Sea, starting June 2023. This survey will cover seabed areas around the Sleipner East, Sleipner West, Gina Krog, Volve and Utgard oil and gas fields, exploration areas where any discoveries could be tied into existing production infrastructure. This information will be available Q3 2024.
Separately, TGS will undertake a multi-client 2D seismic programme offshore Bangladesh in partnership with SLB and Petrobangla Q1 2023. This full programme could cover 32,000 km of seismic survey lines, with an initial phase comprising 11,000 km over the prospective Bengal fan complex.
This is ahead of a proposed offshore exploration licensing round with processed seismic data available in Q1 2024.
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