Offshore SeisNews ©


••• 26.09.12 Russian Navy flagship Pyotr Veliky this week engages in rescue and emergency training in the Kara Sea.
The Russian Northern Fleet will be ready to assist in emergency situations along the Northern Sea Route, the Navy leadership clearly signaled in this week’s training in the Kara Sea.
In the exercise, the 250 meter long nuclear-powered battle cruiser Pyotr Veliky successfully rescued the crew in a fictitiously wrecked ship under harsh weather conditions, a press release from the Navy informs. The two vessels maneuvered in relation to eachother and applied international standardized communication frequencies.
The exercise is part of a major ongoing Northern Fleet mission to the Kara Sea. According to the Navy, more than 7000 people and as many as 20 vessels, both surface ships and submarines, are involved. In addition, more than 30 aircrafts take part.
Source: BarentsObserver

••• 25.09.12 Ocean Installer awarded Premier Oil contract.
Premier Oil plc has awarded Ocean Installer a contract to perform offshore survey operations in support of the development of the Solan oil field.
"We are very pleased to have been awarded our first offshore contract with Premier. Adding to our growing client base, this contract illustrates that Ocean Installer is capable of providing rapid and efficient solutions in line with clients’ needs", says Steinar Riise, CEO of Ocean Installer.
The work is scheduled to take place in September-October and Ocean Installer will make use of the highly efficient long-term chartered construction support vessel (CSV) Normand Clipper.
The Solan field is located in the UK North Sea, west of the Shetland Islands (block 205/26a), at a water depth of approximately 137 metres. Premier is the operator of the Solan field, where production is estimated to commence in the fourth quarter of 2014.
Source: Ocean Installer

••• 25.09.12 Spectrum further extends its 2D campaign in Brazil.
Spectrum has commenced the next phase of its 2D campaign in Brazil to acquire an additional 6,000 km over the Foz do Amazonas basin. The program immediately follows on from the phase 1 survey of 15,000 km, which was completed successfully and ahead of time. The phase 2 survey will be completed in the fourth quarter 2012, following which Spectrum will have collected over 34,000 kms of new long offset data over this highly prospective equatorial margin. The program is designed such that it covers sector blocks expected to be announced in the 11th license round in 2013. The survey is supported by industry funding.
"This significant investment by Spectrum has been prompted by an eager industry looking for seismic data to give them an advantage in the upcoming Round 11 in 2013. These programs have all been designed to infill to a tighter grid to allow industry to be able to map the prospective areas with a higher resolution and confidence. Our permit will allow Spectrum to add even more kilometers of infill in this emerging frontier exploration area", commented Spectrum's Richie Miller, EVP North & South America.
The seismic data is being acquired by the SeaBird' vessel Hawk Explorer and the data will be processed at Spectrum's processing center in Houston, with the final products scheduled for delivery during Q1 2013.
Source: Spectrum ASA

••• 24.09.12 CGGVeritas announces acquisition of Fugro’s Geoscience Division and the creation of strategic partnerships.
CGGVeritas announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Fugro to acquire Fugro’s Geoscience Division, excluding the existing Multi-Client library and nodes businesses.
With this transformative agreement, CGGVeritas will become a fully integrated Geoscience company establishing a leading position in the fast growing high-end integrated geology and geophysics and reservoir market. The transaction will also strengthen and extend its existing equipment and acquisition businesses, in particular with the addition of four high-end 3D vessels. Read more...
Source: CGGVeritas

••• 24.09.12 Fugro to divest the majority of its Geoscience Division to CGGVeritas for EUR 1.2 billion.
The transaction is a result of Fugro’s review of all options regarding its marine streamer seismic data acquisition business and associated activities, as announced on 30 May 2012. This divestment allows Fugro to exit the capital intensive and volatile seismic segment of the oil and gas exploration market where it does not have a leading market position. Also, most seismic companies have indicated fleet expansion plans in the immediate future, creating a clear window of opportunity for Fugro to enter into this transaction.
The transaction involves the transfer of approximately 2,500 well qualified Fugro employees located around the world. CGGVeritas has agreed to honour all existing labour rights and agreements. Fugro will undertake appropriate consultation procedures with employee representatives.
With a much stronger balance sheet, Fugro will continue to focus on growth opportunities in its core, market-leading and less volatile geotechnical and survey businesses. Read more...
Source: Fugro

••• 24.09.12 TGS announces new proprietary 2D Survey Offshore Colombia.
TGS has signed an agreement with Colombia’s Agencia de Hidrocarburos (ANH) to acquire a new 10,000 km proprietary 2D survey offshore Colombia. Approximately 6,400 km of data will be acquired in the Caribbean and 3,600 km in the Pacific.
The seismic data will be acquired by the M/V Shatskiy starting in early Q4 2012 and will provide a new regional view of the deep water geology of Colombia. The proprietary contract with ANH also includes TGS processing and interpretation services of the 2D data, which will be completed in late 2013.
"This contract is an important step in TGS’ strategy to grow in Latin America. Offshore Colombia remains a frontier area with little modern seismic data. TGS is excited to be working with ANH to develop the country's hydrocarbon potential," commented Rod Starr, Senior VP Western Hemisphere for TGS.
Source: TGS

••• 21.09.12 Dolphin and Hannon Westwood sign Multi-Client co-operation Agreement.
Dolphin Geophysical and Hannon Westwood announced that they have entered into an agreement whereby Hannon Westwood will use its extensive NW Europe databases of historically mapped hydrocarbon discoveries and potential plays to exclusively assist Dolphin with the location and planning of future Multi-Client 3D seismic surveys.
In addition the two companies will collaborate on the marketing and sale of these surveys. Hannon Westwood has developed these databases over many years so that, allied to its robust geoscience knowledge, it will be able to provide a solid and informed contribution for identifying highly attractive geological plays for future Dolphin Multi-Client surveys.
Dolphin currently has five fully operational seismic vessels with two new high capacity 3D vessels joining the fleet in 2013 and 2014. Dolphin will undertake all data processing utilising its state of the art OPEN CPS facilities both onboard and onshore.
Ian T. Edwards, Dolphin’s Vice President of Global Multi-Client Surveys said "access to the Hannon Westwood data and knowledge bases will provide opportunities for Dolphin to design new MC surveys focusing on areas or blocks which may have been overlooked or discarded by industry as well as locations currently targeted by companies based on recent and future licensing rounds".
Chris Bulley, Executive Director of Hannon Westwood said "our databases, which record both current and historically mapped potential, are an ideal starting point to enable Dolphin to ensure that its surveys are targeted at not just the current hot plays but also cover untested plays and prospects that have been mapped previously".
Source: Dolphin Geophysical

••• 21.09.12 Ulstein PSV design deal at Sinopacific.
Sinopacific’s Zhejiang shipyard in Ningbo, China, has entered into a contract with ULSTEIN for the delivery of 12 design packages for PX105 PSVs for Seatankers Group.
"Seatankers Group is a new customer for ULSTEIN", said Sigurd Viseth, Managing Director at Ulstein Design and Solutions. "We are very happy that the company has chosen our designs. We strongly believe that they will find these to be cost-effective and excellent vessels".
"In total since 2007, Sinopacific has entered into contracts involving as many as 22 vessels incorporating ULSTEIN’s designs. For most of the projects at the yard, all parties have benefited greatly from construction supervision carried out by ULSTEIN," he explained.
The contract incorporates a comprehensive equipment package including design, engineering and equipment supplied by ULSTEIN.
The vessels are 88.9m long and 19m in the beam. They are equipped with a diesel-electric propulsion system and a comprehensive electrical package delivered by Ulstein Power & Control.
They are fitted with Azipull 100 propellers, and will be able to reach speeds of 15.5 knots. The loading deck area is in excess of 1,000 m2 and the vessels each have a dead weight of 4,700 tonnes.
They comply with the DNV requirements of the Clean and Clean Design standards.
Including the new contracts, ULSTEIN has sold a total of 26 vessels of the PX105 design, incorporating the X-BOW hull line design, and says it has received excellent feedback from crew working on this type of vessel.
Source: Offshore Shipping Online

••• 20.09.12 Norway will finally get its first ice-classed research vessel that can sail in the High Arctic in 2016.
A dedicated ice-classed research vessel was listed as top priority when the Norwegian government launched its High North policy in 2006. Since then, loads of talks and planning have followed, but now budget cash.
The government announced Wednesday that NOK 440 million (€59 million) will be granted over the State Budget 2013, to be followed by additional funding the two next years, in total believed to be some NOK 1,4 billion (€188 million).
The new research vessel will be owned by the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromso, but operated by the shipping department of the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) in Bergen. The University of Tromso is a third partner to use the vessel in its research work in the High North.
The vessel will be baptized Dr. Fridtjof Nansen after a 20-year old marine research vessel to be laid-up when the new state-of-the-art vessel is ready to sail, reports the portal of IMR.
Director Jan-Gunnar Winther says in a comment posted on the portal of the Norwegian Polar Institute that this is a happy day for Norway.
"We and the University of Tromso has for several years been working to make this happen. An ice-classed vessel opens new opportunities for climate research and other polar research in both the Arctic and Antarctic. This means that Norway will remain in the forefront when it comes to knowledge of the polar regions," says Jan-Gunnar Winther.
Dr. Fridtjof Nansen will have ice-class Polar 10 Icebreaker. It will have cabin-space for a crew of at least 50 and be fitted for research voyages of up to six weeks in ice-covered waters. The vessel will be 100 meters long and 21 meters wide.
Source: BarentsObserver

••• 18.09.12 Lukoil begins 3D seismic survey in the Romanian Sector of the Black Sea.
The 3D seismic acquisition survey, carried out by LUKOIL Overseas, LUKOIL’s subsidiary, is underway on East Rapsodia and Trident blocks in the Romanian Sector of the Black Sea.
Seismic operations are being carried out by geophysical services provider CGGVeritas, after it won the respective tender, and will be completed in November 2012. The planned scope of the survey will be up to 2,000 square kilometers. Therefore for the first time in its history LUKOIL has begun upstream operations in a European Union member country.
The East Rapsodia and Trident projects are being implemented by a consortium of investors, which includes LUKOIL (80%, operator) and Vanco International (20%). The consortium was awarded the right to implement these projects as a result of the tender held in June 2010. Concession agreements for the blocks were signed in February 2011 and ratified by the Romanian Government in October 2011. An environmental impact assessment was carried out on the projects, public environmental hearings were held and required permits were obtained from state and local authorities.
The East Rapsodia and Trident blocks are located in the Black Sea where water depths range from 90 to 1000 meters. The distance to the coastline is 60-100 kilometers; the nearest big city and port on the coast is Constanta. The combined area of the license blocks is about 2,000 square kilometers. LUKOIL has opened an office in Bucharest to manage these projects.
Source: Lukoil Overseas

••• 17.09.12 Fugro awarded Mareano survey contract by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service.
Fugro OSAE GmbH has been awarded a EUR 2.7 million hydrographic survey contract by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NHS). This survey, planned for 2013, is part of the on-going MAREANO project and will encompass an area over 11,000 sq.km in the Barents Sea.
The area is located offshore the northern-most part of Norway, close to the Russian border, in water depths between 150 metres and 300 metres. The awarded survey is adjacent to an area surveyed by Fugro in 2011 and 2012. NHS has the option to extend the project area, which would then require the deployment of additional tonnage. Data processing will take place onboard the vessels and at Fugro OSAE’s processing centre in Bremen, Germany.
MAREANO is Norway’s program to fill knowledge gaps related to seabed conditions and biodiversity along the northern Norwegian coast. The goal is to contribute to a better knowledge base for Resource Management, in particular for fishing and oil and gas exploitation. The acquisition of detailed and accurate bathymetry is an important first step in the collection of benthic data.
Fugro OSAE has continued to conduct high-resolution bathymetric surveys for NHS over the past decade.
Source: Fugro

••• 17.09.12 RXT: Contract award.
The multi-component seismic company Reservoir Exploration Technology ASA has received a contract award for an Ocean Bottom Seismic (OBC) survey for the Morecambe field development in the East Irish Sea, UK for Centrica Energy.
The main objective is to address existing seismic data quality issues, as well as provide additional capability for pre-stack attribute analysis to support improved wellbore planning.
The survey will also allow for an assessment of the deep remaining exploration potential. The survey duration is estimated to be 2 months and the estimated contract value is minimum GBP 8,4m. The survey is scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter, 2012.
Source: RXT

••• 17.09.12 Schlumberger opens China Petroleum Institute.
Schlumberger announced Friday the opening of the Schlumberger China Petroleum Institute (SCPI) located in the Schlumberger China headquarters office building in the Chaoyang district of Beijing. The institute has more than 100 petro-technical experts, most of them co-located on the same floor of the office building in Beijing, and others working in several locations around China.
The Data Services and the Geoscience & Petroleum Engineering (GPE) teams form the core of the institute. They work in tight coordination with the domain experts from all other Schlumberger technology segments to deliver best-in-class integrated petro-technical services to Chinese national oil and gas companies and to international oil companies working in China.
In addition to petro-technical services, the institute provides technical support to Chinese national oil companies for their international projects, as well as petro-technical training via NExT. Schlumberger China Petroleum Institute is also a hub for conducting R&D projects jointly with Chinese national oil companies and universities.
Source: Schlumberger Ltd

••• 14.09.12 Australia invests in offshore petroleum exploration.
The Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, has announced the grant of seven new offshore petroleum exploration permits as part of round two of the 2011 Exploration Acreage Release.
The award of these permits will see an estimated $277 million in new investment in offshore areas off the Northern Territory and Western Australia over the next three years. The Minister said awarding exploration permits helped to maintain Australia’s energy security and economic growth. "Exploration is vital for the future of Australia’s resources sector, and the Australian Government is committed to working with industry to enhance our international competitiveness and ensure the long-term growth of this important industry," Martin Ferguson said. "There continues to be a strong and growing interest in Australia’s prospectively from both domestic and international companies with 19 bids for seven areas received. ...These new exploration permits raise the potential to discover new oil and gas reserves, which will underpin new projects, provide more jobs and support the Australian economy."
Australia is currently the third largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Asia-Pacific region and the fourth largest LNG exporter in the world, exporting more than $12 billion in LNG a year.
"Australia has more than half of the world’s major LNG projects currently in construction and their completion could see Australia become the world’s largest LNG exporter," Martin Ferguson said. "These new permits have the potential to increase project development opportunities and strengthen our energy security and export capacity."
Source: Geonews

••• 14.09.12 Seabird: oil companies are now "massively interested" in frontier areas to drill for new oil and gas resources.
Seabird Exploration says oil companies are now back in the proprietary 2D seismic market and the company says it is seeing increasing dayrates too.
While there is massive interest in frontier areas, the market for seismic source vessels is heating up with demand for ocean bottom and nodal surveys, permanent monitoring and wide-azimuth surveys.
Recently the company has been developing an equivalent to wide azimuth technology in the 3D market, called ultra-long offset 2D using a 20 kilometre (12.4 mile) long cable for continuous data recording.
These market trends have been identified by Oslo-listed Seabird Exploration during a presentation to the Pareto Securities conference in Norway.
Seabird's current fleet comprises eight Explorer vessels: Voyager, Hawk, Munin, Kondor which are on charter, while the other four Aquila, Northern, Harrier, Osprey are all owned. Read more...
Source: Offshore.no

••• 13.09.12 Japanese drilling vessel Chikyu sets world record.
During a scientific expedition, a Japanese drilling vessel Chikyu has set a new world record by drilling over 2,111 meters beneath the seafloor.
According to FoxNews, the drilling work was executed off Shimokita Peninsula of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The goal of the Deep Coalbed Biosphere expedition is to drill down to 7,220 feet (2,220 m) beneath the ocean floor and collect samples from the Earth’s mantle, to learn more about the planet’s ancient geologic history and the microbes that live at these depths.
Fumio Inagaki, co-chief scientist for the expedition said: "We have just opened a window to the new era of scientific ocean drilling. The extended record is just a beginning for the Chikyu". In the next three weeks the researchers will continue to explore the deeply buried coal formation.
Source: Geonews

••• 13.09.12 Fugro sold stake in EMGS.
Fugro announced today that it has sold its financial investment (27,777,778 shares representing up to 14%) in Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA (EMGS) in Norway for a total value of approximately NOK 444.4 million (EUR 60 million).
Fugro obtained the shares in April 2011 as result of the conversion of a convertible loan that Fugro provided to EMGS in April 2009.
Source : Fugro

••• 12.09.12 Ocean Installer awarded and successfully completes Shell contract. The job was part of the development of the Corrib gas field and the contract covered the survey of a 20-inch, 83km long offshore pipeline and the relocation of about 250 boulders, clearing a 12-metre wide corridor in an umbilical lay route.
The work commenced in early August and was successfully completed last week using the highly efficient construction support vessel (CSV) Normand Clipper.
"We are very pleased that Shell chose Ocean Installer for this survey work and that it was completed on time and without any issues. This reflects the good working relation our two companies are developing", says Steinar Riise, CEO of Ocean Installer. The Corrib field is located in the Atlantic on the west coast of Ireland in blocks 18/20 and 18/25. Maximum water depth is approx. 357m.
Shell E&P Ireland Ltd. has the operatorship of the Corrib field. Shell E&P Ireland Ltd. is the developer of the Corrib gas project, while Statoil Exploration (36.5%) and Vermilion Energy (18.5%) are partners. Gas from the Corrib Field, which is expected to flow in late 2014 or early 2015, has the potential to supply up to 60% of Ireland’s gas needs at peak.
Source: Ocean Installer

••• 10.09.12 TGS commences new multi-client 2D Survey offshore Newfoundland.
TGS in partnership with PGS have commenced a new 20,000 km multi-client 2D survey over the Northeast Newfoundland Shelf.
The seismic data is being acquired by the M/V Sanco Spirit and utilizes PGS GeoStreamer® technology. Data acquisition will continue into early Q4 2012 and the vessel will return in 2013 to complete the survey. The survey area covers oil discoveries including Hibernia, Terra Nova, Hebron, White Rose and the recent Mizzen discovery.
"It is important for TGS to continue adding data coverage in an area where there is little modern multi-client seismic data available to the market. Northeast Canada remains one of the most promising deepwater exploration arenas in the world and we are excited to be in a leading position," commented Rod Starr, Senior VP Western Hemisphere for TGS.
Initial data will be available to clients during Q1 2013. The survey is supported by industry funding.
Source: TGS

••• 10.09.12 Shell said Friday drilling in Alaska's Arctic offshore will likely begin over the coming weekend.
Royal Dutch Shell PLC's U.S. unit said Friday drilling in Alaska's Arctic offshore will likely begin over the coming weekend, after a drillship sets down anchor over the first oil-and-gas prospect targeted by the Anglo-Dutch oil company in the Chukchi Sea.
The drillship, Noble Corp.'s Noble Discoverer (mid-water drillship), is in the process of mooring its eight anchors on the seafloor, a Shell spokeswoman said. Once operations start, the vessel's crew will drill the top portion of an oil well.
The company also said it would test an oil-spill-containment system during the weekend.
Shell's six-year-long campaign to open up vast oil riches off Alaska's coast has been delayed by environmental lawsuits, cautious regulators and bad weather, including persistent ice. The company has only a few weeks to conduct its plans, focused on drilling the top part of several wells, before the summer drilling season is over.
Source: Rigzone

••• 07.09.12 Sercel’s seismic portfolio selected to equip high-end CGGVeritas vessel Oceanic Champion.
Sercel’s complete portfolio of latest-generation marine seismic systems has been deployed on yet another high-end seismic vessel. Specifically designed to perform the full range of seismic functionalities from data acquisition through positioning to control, the systems portfolio is now being successfully deployed on the Oceanic Champion, a recently upgraded vessel in the CGGVeritas fleet.
The individual industry-leading systems making up the full marine seismic offering are the Seal 428 new-generation marine seismic recorder, high-performance G. GUN II airguns, state-of-the-art Sentinel® solid streamers, the all-in-one Nautilus® streamer positioning and control system and the new SeaPro Nav integrated navigation system. With the onboard integration of all five Sercel systems, the Oceanic Champion can achieve the most exceptional data quality results through the use of the quietest steered streamer and the best-performing marine source range in the industry.
Benoit Ribadeau-Dumas, Executive Vice President, Marine Division, CGGVeritas : "We selected the full set of Sercel systems to ensure our high-end Oceanic Champion vessel achieves unrivalled operational efficiency and seismic imaging in difficult and challenging environments such as the North Sea, where it is currently acquiring a large high-resolution survey. Operating with a 14 x 6.6 km variable-depth streamer configuration, the choice of Nautilus is particularly reassuring as it ensures better control of the 50-meter streamer separation we are using for this high-density survey."
Pascal Rouiller, CEO, Sercel, said: "By selecting our complete offering of marine seismic systems, representing 40 years of Sercel know-how, the Oceanic Champion now deploys the most reliable and high-performance acquisition technology to deliver optimum data results. The very positive feedback we have received is proof that Sercel continues to deliver the most advanced solutions for optimum marine seismic recording."
Source: Sercel

••• 06.09.12 SeaBird - multi-client sale.
SeaBird Exploration Plc announced that it has sold a small part of its multi-client data library to another professional multi-client data supplier in the market.
The sale is subject to due-diligence. The agreed price will bring SeaBird approximately USD 4.5 million.
Source: SeaBird

••• 05.09.12 Last week in Nagasaki the keel was laid for the new PGS seismic vessel Ramform Titan.
This is the second important milestone in the construction process of the Ramform Titan, which is progressing according to plan.
The Ramform Titan is being built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) in Japan, using the latest shipbuilding methodology, in prefabricated blocks. Block production is now completed and all 22 elements are ready for assembly. Over the coming weeks these will be hoisted one by one into the dry dock in a process known as "vessel erection". By the end of November the vessel will be afloat.
Block construction involves the assembly of prefabricated sections. Cross-sections of the superstructure are pre-built in the yard, taken to the building dock and then hoisted into position and attached. Equipment components and utilities are built into the blocks, including pipes, plumbing, electrical cables and all major equipment. This means less effort is required once the hull is welded together.
After floating the remaining time will be spent on outfitting, putting in place connections, building the interior, commissioning, and related tasks.
The Ramform Titan is due for delivery first quarter 2013.
Source: PGS

••• 05.09.12 PGS has reportedly been chosen ahead of seven other competitors to carry out a seismic sweep offshore southern and western Greece.
The seismic provider is conducting the shoot to pave the way for a new licensing round due in mid-2014, Energy Minister Energy Minister Evangelos Livieratos told a parliamentary committee in Athens, according to Reuters.
The Oslo-based outfit will send a ship to the Ionian Sea and off the southern island of Crete to gather the data by the end of the year, the minister said. The tests will be conducted in a maritime zone between 100 and 400 kilometres wide where "there are serious prospects," Livieratos said.
The value of the contract was not disclosed.
PGS previously conducted seismic surveys off Cyprus, where gas finds are thought to have prompted Athens’ renewed interest.
Almost 200 unsuccessful wells are said to have been drilled in various parts of Greece in the past century up to 12 years ago, but most were badly managed or carried out at the wrong locations, Greek officials said.
In July, Greece called a bidding round for three offshore and onshore blocks in the western part of the country, where potential of about 280 million barrels of oil was pegged.
It received 11 bids from explorers such as Hellenic Petroleum and Chariot Oil & Gas, as well as Schlumberger, which teamed up with local partner Energean Oil & Gas. The government is expected to announce the winning bidders later this year.
Source: Upstream

••• 05.09.12 Fugro awarded Ocean Bottom Node survey program.
Fugro Seabed Seismic Systems has reached agreement with a major oil and gas company for an Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) program in various regions.
This is an extension to the previously announced program in the Gulf of Guinea. With this agreement, the seismic Ocean Bottom Node activity has approximately 20 months of backlog.
Source: Fugro

••• 04.09.12 SeaBird wins survey contracts.
SeaBird Exploration Plc announced that Voyager Explorer has received a letter of award from an oil company in South East Asia. The contract value is approximately USD 7.5 million and contract duration is estimated to 50 days. The Voyager Explorer has mobilized from East Africa and work will commence early September.
The Northern Explorer will start a joint multi-client survey with Spectrum ASA in Sub-Saharan Africa. This survey is a joint project, and not covered by the recently signed Global Framework Agreement. Project duration is estimated to 30 days.
Source: SeaBird

••• 22.08.12 TGS commenced multi-client 3D Survey in Faroe Shetland Basin.
TGS has commenced acquisition of a 3D multi-client survey covering 1,520 km2 in Quads 208 and 217 of the Faroe Shetland Basin on the UK Continental Shelf, West of Shetlands.
The Erlend West 2012 (EW12) survey is the industry’s first 3D survey in this northern area and covers the western most margin of the Erlend Basin. The project builds on the improved imaging shown within the reprocessed TGS North Sea Renaissance 2D data. The EW12 3D survey covers both held acreage and open blocks, and expands on TGS' 3D coverage in this developing petroleum province.
The seismic data is being acquired by the M/V Polar Duchess. A fast track data volume will be available for delivery and licensing during Q1 2013.
The survey is supported by industry funding.
Source: TGS

••• 20.08.12 TGS announced a fourth 3D multi-client seismic survey Offshore Northwest Australia.
TGS announced a 3D multi-client seismic survey, Honeycombs, which covers 2,500 km2 over the Exmouth Plateau in the Northern Carnarvon Basin, offshore NW Australia. This survey is located over acreage with 50% relinquishment due in February 2013 and is adjacent to the previously announced NW Australia survey (Mary Rose) in October 2011. Upon completion of this survey, the TGS portfolio of 3D multi-client coverage in this highly prospective area offshore Australia will exceed 17,000 km2.
The seismic data will be acquired by the M/V Ramform Sterling and is expected to begin in September 2012 with completion in Q4 2012.
The survey is supported by industry funding.
Source: TGS

••• 20.08.12 Dolphin’s Polar Duke to start 3D multi client survey offshore Lebanon.
Dolphin announced a new 3D multi client survey in cooperation with Spectrum to be acquired by the high capacity seismic vessel M/V Polar Duke.
The survey is located offshore Lebanon and will have a minimum size of 1,500 square kilometres. The acquisition is scheduled to finish within September, and the data is planned to be available to clients before year-end 2012.
The mobilisation and acquisition will start imminently and fit well with the schedule for Polar Duke voyage to the previously announced contract in East Africa, which will commence in early October 2012.
Source: Dolphin Geophysical

••• 16.08.12 TGS commenced expansion of multi-client 2D database in Northeast Greenland.
TGS has commenced expansion of a 2D multi-client survey covering 3,000 km in Northeast Greenland in partnership with Fugro.
The survey NEG12 will enable customers to prepare for the announced Greenland Licensing Round in 2012/2013 and will be a significant addition to a data set that TGS and Fugro have been growing since 2008. With this year’s data acquisition, TGS will be able to offer approximately 7,500 km of multi-client 2D data, a large volume of reprocessed multi-client 2D data and full coverage of aeromagnetic/gravity data over and adjacent to the basins that are included in the announced licensing round.
The seismic data is being acquired by the M/V Akademik Shatskiy supported by the ice breaker M/V Viking Balder. A helicopter is being utilized for ice density monitoring. The survey is scheduled to complete during Q3 2012. Data processing will be performed by TGS and data will be available to clients before the 15 December application deadline of the first licensing round in these waters.
The survey is supported by industry funding.
Source: TGS

••• 10.08.12 Searcher Seismic together with project partner Dolphin Geophysical have completed acquisition of the Gulspurv 3D survey.
The high resolution seismic data acquired by the M/V Polar Duke 12 x 6000m digital solid streamers.
The Fast Track Cube (FTC) preliminary processed data from the survey shows excellent resolution with good shallow structure illustrating the exciting new prospectivity in the current 22nd round bid blocks and is ready for delivery from the end of August 2012.
The Gulspurv 3D new acquisition comprises of 1,997 km2 of high resolution 3D seismic data over the highly prospective Bjornoyarenna Fault complex.
The survey was acquired with a 2ms sample rate and a near offset nominal distance of 75m. Maximum shallow fold was achieved with a focussed source effort of a smaller volume (1,310 cu) high frequency source signature and shot point interval of 12.5m (flip-flop) to better preserve the shallow structural content in the data. The processing workflow is based on Searcher’s successful high resolution 2D dataset from the Bjornoya Basin North dataset acquired in 2011, and is tailored to maintain the high frequency content with the latest demultiple algorithms being employed and using modern interpolation and transforms.
The dataset has been processed as a 4ms volume to enable the fast track cube to be available at the end of August to allow interpretation prior to the closure of the 22nd Licensing Round evaluations.
The onshore processing of the final 4ms volume will continue through refinement and migration until the final dataset is delivered in November 2012. The 2ms high fidelity data is available for reprocessing and focussed quantitative interpretation.
Source: Searcher Seismic

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