Geophysics News

Offshore geotechnical engineering and drilling company Geoquip Marine has announced the conclusion of an extensive conversion and upgrade to its most recently acquired multipurpose geotechnical vessel, the Geoquip Speer, making it suitable for international DP operations.As part of the refit the Speer has had its Moonpool design opened up, enabling it to be fitted with a fully heave-compensated offshore geotechnical drilling rig and deepwater seabed CPT unit, the GMC201.GMC201 is a 20T seabed unit designed to conduct an array of in-situ tests in either shallow or deep water. It is designed with class-leading capabilities in speed of deployment…

Research into the geothermal port of Rotterdam is entering the next phase, according to the Port of Rotterdam Authority.Shell Geothermal BV and the Port of Rotterdam Authority are jointly investigating the options for geothermal energy in the western part of the port of Rotterdam. The two companies have received an exploration permit from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.The subsurface has been mapped out thoroughly in recent years as part of the Ultra-Deep Geothermal Energy (UDG) green deal. Obtaining the exploration permit means that Shell and the Port Authority will have time in the coming years to further detail their plans, with…

ION Geophysical Corporation, a provider of geophysical technology, services and solutions to the global oil and gas industry, has launched Tannat 3D, a multi-client reimaging program offshore Uruguay.Leveraging the ION’s existing regional UruguaySPAN data and subsurface knowledge, ION is reimaging 22,000 sq km of data over the country’s deep water blocks to create a contiguous volume for a holistic exploration perspective of the margin. "This program builds on ION’s excellent 3D merge and reimaging track record established on our quarter of a million square kilometer data library, and adds important geographical diversity to this unique product offering…

Dutch dredging and heavylift company Royal Boskalis Westminster has acquired the remaining 37.5% in the United Arab Emirates’s Horizon Group, a company specializing in the provision of marine geophysical surveys and geotechnical services.Earlier this year, Boskalis already acquired 62.5% of the shares. The 2019 revenue is expected to exceed USD 100 million and the activities will be consolidated as of 2020.Following this transaction, Boskalis will be able to optimize its successful and expanding position in the marine geophysical and geotechnical survey market.Horizon will continue to focus on its traditionally strong market position…

Houston-based  global seismic services company SAExploration announced a combined $130 million of new projects in Alaska, Canada and the Middle East.According to the geophysical services provider the largest contract is valued at approximately $112 million for onshore data acquisition services to be performed on the North Slope of Alaska.The data acquisition services will be conducted over the next three winter seasons, beginning in Q1 2020.In association with this multi-year project award, SAE has entered into a separate agreement with Geospace Technologies Corporation to purchase 30,000 new state-of-the-art GCL recording channels.The new Geospace channels will primarily be utilized during the aforementioned multi-year contract in Alaska…

Shearwater GeoServices, a marine geophysical services company, has been awarded the largest-ever 4D seismic campaign in the Asia/Pacific region covering up to six fields operated by Woodside offshore Australia.According to the 50/50 joint venture between GC Rieber Shipping and Rasmussengruppen  AS, the campaign, planned to commence in Q4 2019, covers new 4D acquisition over the Pluto, Brunello, Laverda, Cimatti and Vincent fields with an option for one additional field.The 4D seismic campaign will improve Woodside’s understanding of the fields’ production performance over time and provide data to guide future field developments. This is the second 4D seismic campaign award by Woodside to Shearwater following the baseline 4D program in Senegal earlier this year.“By using Isometrix…

Geophysical consulting and contracting services firm TGS has partnered with software solutions firm WhiteStar to provide combined data sources."The partnership will provide a robust solution combining TGS well data and WhiteStar land grid GIS data, coupled with field and pool data," a joint press note said.This partnership allows for TGS to add WhiteStar products to its data offerings for clients who need access to land grid and cultural data. These insights will be fully integrated into TGS’ mapping applications, R360 and LONGBOW, for fast, easy access.Furthermore, WhiteStar will offer TGS’ Validated Well Header and Field & Pool GIS Data through its sales channels for customers who need additional location data to fully utilize the value of WhiteStar products.Robert White…

The provider of geophysical marine seismic acquisition and processing services,  Shearwater GeoServices has been given a conditional letter of award for a 2D seismic acquisition and fast-track processing project by Total E&P South Africa B.V.The survey at block 11B-12B will be Shearwater’s first project offshore South Africa, said a press note from the Norwegean Oil and gas exploration service provider.The multi-purpose vessel SW Cook will acquire the initial 3,650-linear km (2,268-mi) program. Starting in 4Q 2019, it has a base duration of two months.The project includes fasttrack processing facilitated by the vessel’s high-capacity…

Norway-based provider of marine geophysical services, Shearwater GeoServices has been awarded a 3D Isometrix seismic survey by Colombia’s Ecopetrol.It will be Shearwater’s first Isometrix survey in Latin America with marine acquisition starting in Q4 2019, said GC Rieber Shipping ASA's 20% owned geoservices company.The survey covers 2 000 sq. km of 3D seismic offshore Colombia on Ecopetrol’s Block COL-5 and will be acquired by the SW Amundsen equipped with Isometrix multisensor streamer technology.Isometrix streamer technology is a true 3D multisensor system that can record the full seismic wavefield enabling better receiver deghosting and improved seismic images.

ION Geophysical Corporation, a technology focused company that provides geophysical technology, services and solutions to the global oil and gas industry, announced a new 2D multi-client program offshore West Africa.The industry-supported NamibeSPAN program covers the under-explored Namibe basin offshore southern Angola. The dataset integrates ION BasinSPAN programs in the area, forming a contiguous regional exploration framework in excess of 65,000 km along the West African coast. The program is the conjugate tie with offshore Brazil. The extension of the program into the Namibe basin provides valuable insight along both margins and is a framework to identify known discoveries as potential exploration analogues.

Dutch multinational geo-data specialist Fugro has completed the second of three Malaysian seep hunting and geochemical campaigns for Malaysian oil and gas company ‘Petronas’.According to the provider of geotechnical, survey, subsea, and geoscience services, the first campaign was conducted offshore Sabah, Malaysia, and took place between December 2018 and March 2019, using 2012 built Fugro Equator, which acquired geophysical data including multibeam echo sounder (MBES) and sub-bottom profiler (SBP) data used to interpret geologic features and optimize target selection for geochemical sampling.The second campaign was located offshore Sarawak…

For the next month, Jan Stenløkk will trade his office in Stavanger for the vessel "M/V Seabed Constructor" in the Norwegian Sea.On this voyage, the geologist will continue the task of mapping seabed minerals for the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate on behalf of the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy – which is responsible for managing the minerals."The voyage will go to the volcanic Mohns Ridge between Jan Mayen and Bjørnøya, a sea area that is still virtually unexplored. It’s exciting that the NPD has been given the task of exploring the geology and the deposits, as well as performing the mapping. We are now at the very beginning of work that could have a significant impact on Norwegian resources and industry in the future…

Norwegian seismic player TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) has completed its acquisition of Spectrum, creating a global multi-client geophysical data provider.TGS first announced its intent to acquire Spectrum on 2 May 2019, said a press release from TGS.Completion of the acquisition and the merger plan has today been registered with the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises. As a consequence and following the issuance of 16,076,047 consideration shares to the former shareholders of Spectrum, the new share capital of TGS is NOK 29,680,959.25 divided on 118,723,837 shares each with a nominal value of NOK 0.25.Commenting on the acquisition, Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS, said, “We are pleased to have formally closed the transaction to acquire Spectrum.

Norwegean surveying services company TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) has been awarded a five-year contract for Digital Well Log Data Processing with the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), a federal agency tasked with overseeing offshore oil and gas activities.TGS has been providing Digital Well Log Data Processing services to BSEE since 2004, said the provider of multi-client geoscience data to oil and gas Exploration and Production companies worldwide.BSEE requires complete, defect-free sets of processed, high-quality open-hole digital well log data and contracts companies to serve as an agent of BSEE for the processing…

ION Geophysical Corporation has announced a new 2D multi-client reimaging program off the Pacific coast of Central America.According to the provider of acquisition equipment, software, planning and seismic processing services, and seismic data libraries to the global oil & gas industry, the Maya Reprocessing program covers unexplored open acreage that has not had E&P activity in 40 years. Previous exploration wells along the margin suggest the presence of an active petroleum system in the Pacific forearc basins. E&P companies can use these data to evaluate the prospective areas identified from the reimaged data. The program covers ~9,000 km of data that extend from the Tehuantepec Basin of Southern Mexico to the Sandino Basin of Western Nicaragua and creates a calibrated data set.

The global provider of geophysical marine seismic acquisition Shearwater GeoServices has been awarded a seismic acquisition and depth processing contract by Turkish national oil and gas company Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortakligi (TPAO).The survey contract covers an area of 2200 sqkm and includes fast track processing, followed by full time and depth processing, but location not revealed.Work will commence in Q2 2019 and will be conducted by the Polar Empress, said a press release.“We are very pleased to see the Polar Empress contracted by TPAO for this 14-streamer survey, following on from efficient operations elsewhere completing ahead of schedule.

OceanWise, the player in marine environmental data acquisition, data management, GIS and other services,  announced its involvement in the recent iCoast renovation project.The iCoast website, found at www.icoast.co.uk, is an open access web application providing users the ability to quickly explore activities and plan days out at the Dorset coast.A simple map interface allows users select and view activities at the Dorset coast. Activities appear on the map as a small icon which can be queried to find out more information and add to the kitbag for later. Users can also add weather, tide and transport information to the map, making exploring and planning days out in Dorset a breeze!OceanWise have delivered a brand new front-end (the mapping web pages exposed to the customer)…

Switzerland-headquartered  geotechnical engineering and offshore drilling company Geoquip Marine has announced the appointment of industry veteran Jean-Luc Laloe to its Board of Directors.Jean-Luc, who has almost 40 years of experience in the offshore oil and gas industry, has joined as an independent non-Executive Director.Jean-Luc originally entered the Offshore Engineering and Construction industry in 1980 and in the course of his career he has worked with Technip, Stolt Offshore, and Acergy /Subsea 7. He has held a wide variety of positions with a broad portfolio of responsibilities, including CFO and CEO.Jean-Luc becomes the second major board appointment to Geoquip in a matter of weeks and he will work with Arvid Trolle…

Norwegian geophysical services company Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA (EMGS) has been awarded a contract by UK oil and gas major BP for work off the coast of Senegal and Mauritania.EMGS said in a in Oslo Exchange filing that the contract is worth around $6 million. The survey work is expected to start in the first quarter of 2020.CEO of EMGS, Bjørn Petter Lindhom, said, “EMGS is delighted to return to Africa and for the opportunity to work for BP and partners on their high-profile acreage in Mauritania and Senegal.""This contract extends our already healthy backlog and puts us in a good position to secure additional work in the prolific MSGBC Basin and in West Africa…

GeoSpace-Sea, a new database on Singapore's waters, from its coastlines to the seabed, was launched yesterday (June 28) by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).GeoSpace-Sea aims to provide comprehensive geospatial data for port and coastal planning, among other things, as well as environmental management.MPA, together with 11 other government agencies and the Tropical Marine Science Institute from National University of Singapore, will develop GeoSpace-Sea in phases.“The marine knowledge generated through the GeoSpace-Sea initiative will serve us well in the areas of marine and coastal spatial planning, marine science R&D, marine conservation, climate change adaptation, and disaster response,” said Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health.

Norwegian geophysical services company Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA (EMGS) is participating in a sole-sourced tender process for a multi-year acquisition contract.EMGS has now received a letter of award for the contract. The multi-year call-off acquisition contract, awarded by one of the world’s largest national oil companies, has a minimum value of approx. USD 29.3 million, and a maximum value of approx. USD 73.3 million, over a two-year period.Based on current acquisition estimates, the marine EM market leader expects that all or a substantial part of the minimum contract value will be recognised in 2019.EMGS expects that final contract execution will take place within approx. three weeks.

New joint venture company Ocean Geo-Frontier (OGF) on Monday signed a consignment service agreement with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) for geophysical surveys to be conducted by a three-dimensional geophysical survey vessel.OGF was established in December 2018 to meet an expected demand increase for offshore surveys after Japan’s Cabinet Office approved the Third Basic Plan on Ocean Policy for the development of domestic resources, including oil and gas…

Norway-based Songa Bulk AS, an investment vehicle established to invest in dry bulk assets, has made an agreement to merge with company Axxis Geo Solutions (AGS).Per deal, Songa Bulk will assume the assets, rights and obligations of the Houston-based AGS against issuance of shares in Songa Bulk to existing shareholders of AGS.The exchange ratio in the Merger is based on an equity value of Songa Bulk of NOK 17.93 million, corresponding to a price per share of NOK 0.5, and an equity value of AGS of NOK 514.82 million, corresponding to a price per share of NOK 0.7.The shareholders of AGS will receive 1.4 shares of Songa Bulk per one share in AGS…