CGG and TGS to Perform a Dense OBN Survey on the Norwegian Continental Shelf

CGG and TGS have been jointly awarded the acquisition and imaging of a dense ocean bottom node (OBN) multi-client seismic survey in the Balder and Ringhorne areas of the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

The Heimdal Terrace OBN survey, located directly north of the Utsira OBN survey in the North Sea, will span an additional 500 square kilometer area under receivers (AUR) to increase the contiguous multi-client OBN coverage in the region to 3,778 square kilometers AUR. The survey area covers a mature part of the North Sea, including the Balder and Ringhorne fields, the Iving/Evra and Enniberg discoveries, and surrounding infrastructure-led exploration (ILX) areas for potential tiebacks to existing infrastructure.

TGS will be the operator throughout the acquisition phase. The company will apply its experience and technical expertise in managing many complex OBN acquisition programs in the North Sea and other regions to provide valuable insight into enhanced exploration opportunities across this part of the NCS.

CGG, the OBN imaging specialist, will apply its proprietary OBN processing and imaging technology, including time-lag full-waveform inversion, to create a high-quality 3D volume that will enhance the resolution and structural definition of the complex geology and reservoirs in the region.

Kristian Johansen, Chief Executive Officer at TGS, commented, "With this latest OBN survey, we continue our ongoing commitment to support our customers with the data they need to maximize the longevity of their production activities and discover new hydrocarbon reserves in mature areas. This acquisition project will further cement our leading position in delivering high-quality, multi-client OBN data to the industry."

Sophie Zurquiyah, CGG CEO, said, “CGG is pleased to partner with TGS to deliver this new OBN survey to meet strong industry demand for high-definition seismic data in this region. Clients continue to recognize the value of our advanced OBN imaging technology and expertise and the resulting data will support continued exploration and development in this mature, and very prolific part of NCS.”

The acquisition will commence in April 2023, with final processed deliverables to be completed by the end of Q2 2024.

The project is supported by industry funding.