NORWAY’S TGS-Nopec Geophysical has started two major multi-client offshore surveys – a 8,600km (5,375-mile) long offset 2D seismic, gravity and magnetic survey off West Africa and a 6,900sq km (2,664sq mile) 3D survey in the Eastern US Gulf of Mexico.
The West Africa work is offshore Ghana, including coverage of the huge Jubilee discovery by a consortium led by Tullow. It extends across shallow and deepwater acreage that is not currently under lease. The project is designed to help further define the extent of the petroleum system through the eastern prospective offshore area of Ghana. The work is being carried out by the survey vessel, Northern Genesis, and is supported by industry funding.
TGS has also embarked on a multi-client 3D survey in the DeSoto Canyon area of the US Gulf of Mexico. The survey vessel, BOS Arctic, is already working and should complete in May. Project deliverables are to include pre-stack time migration as well as anisotropic Kirchhoff and wave equation pre-stack depth migrations. This project is supported by industry funding and participants will receive fast-track data covering a 1,100sq km (425sq mile) area prior to the March, 2009, US Gulf lease sale.