Step-change in source deblending enables bespoke, high-density acquisition designs to address difficult geological scenarios, CGG revealed in a recent release, highlighting advancements in seismic developments and a new world opening up in related spin-offs. Among many recent seismic technology advances, there has been a step-change in source deblending. This has enabled the design of surveys, which use multiple sets of simultaneous sources to provide bespoke imaging solutions for a range of challenging environments. Typically, this includes a dramatic increase in source density and the collection of additional offset-azimuth coverage without losing fold and near offset coverage.
Feature Articles
Unemployment down but self-employed geoscientists continue to struggle
Unemployment amongst Australian geoscientists continued to fall during the first quarter of 2019. At 31 March 2019, the latest Australian Institute of Geoscientist’s (AIG) Employment Survey revealed an average unemployment rate of 7.5%, down from 9.1% recorded three months earlier at the end of December 2018. The underemployment rate amongst self-employed geoscientists, however, increased 2% to 20.5%, continuing an upturn in the self-employed’s unemployment rate evident in the December 2018 survey when a rate of 18.5% was recorded. The fall in geoscientist unemployment continues a gradual, downward trend that became evident in March 2016.
Searcher announced expansion of Argentina Data Library
Searcher has announced the expansion of the Argentina Super-Tie 2D Reprocessing Project. Following the success of phase 1 which specifically targeted the recent offshore bid round, the project has now been extended to include all available offshore 2D seismic data in the Malvinas and Austral Basins, Searcher said. The reprocessing effort will utilize a modern broadband and AVO compliant workflow to both improve imaging quality and provide regionally consistent data coverage.
Wood to lead subsea integration and flow assurance for landmark subsea development in Australia
Wood has secured a new contract with Chevron Australia to provide subsea integration and flow assurance front-end engineering design (FEED) services for the Jansz-lo compression project offshore Western Australia. Effective immediately, the one-year contract will be delivered locally by Wood’s team based in Perth, harnessing local expertise and industry capability. The Jansz-lo compression project will maintain gas supply to the existing Gorgon LNG facility. Wood will lead as system integrator of the technology, providing independent flow assurance, subsea design, and construction engineering support during the FEED. This new contract extends Wood’s support of Chevron-operated major capital projects in Australia.
CGG and Lundin Norway win NCS Exploration Innovation Prize 2019 for TopSeis
CGG and Lundin Norway AS have been awarded the NCS Exploration Innovation Prize 2019 for TopSeis™, a next-generation marine source-over-spread acquisition and imaging solution that delivers a step-change in imaging by providing massively increased near-offset coverage from a split spread with zero offsets. The Exploration Innovation Prize is “awarded to a license group, company, team or person who, during the last couple of years, has given a courageous and innovative technological contribution in exploration for oil and gas on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Shell gets NOPSEMA approval for Bratwurst-1 well
Shell has won approval from NOPSEMA to drill the Bratwurst-1 exploration well in AC/P64 offshore Western Australia. The original plan was submitted by Shell in January this year for a well which is located within the Northern Browse Basin in Commonwealth Waters in water depths of approximately 155 meters. The plan was officially approved by NOPSEMA on May 15. Shell will target gas/condensate and has plans to deploy a semi-submersible rig for the operation.
CGG Begins First Multi-Client Ocean Bottom Node Survey in Mississippi Canyon, Gulf of Mexico
CGG has announced commencement of its first multi-client ocean bottom node (OBN) survey, taking CGG’s offshore data library to the “next level of excellence”. Located in the north-central region of the Gulf of Mexico, this dense OBN survey will provide well-sampled, full azimuthal coverage with long offsets, to deliver exceptional data for imaging the geologically complex structures in Mississippi Canyon, CGG said. Acquisition services are being provided by Seabed Geosolutions and the data will be processed by CGG Geoscience’s Subsurface Imaging in Houston.
Future plans in WA to lower costs without compromising service
Lower revenue, lower costs and maintaining strong safety, reliability and service performance are thenfocus of proposed future plans announced recently for Western Australia's Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP) and its customers out to the year 2025. The pipeline - part of the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) - is the backbone of the WA economy, linking the gas fields in the State's north-west directly to mining, industrial, and commercial customers. AGIG's Chief Customer Officer, Andrew Staniford, said the Draft Plan released outlines DBNGPmactivities and expenditure proposed to be undertaken from 2021 through to 2025.
APPEA welcomes Australian wholesale gas prices that are below Asian average
Australia’s average gas prices are amongst the lowest in Asia, according to the latest international survey of wholesale gas prices. The 2019 International Gas Union’s Wholesale Gas Price Survey shows the average wholesale gas price in Australia last year ($US4.54/MMBTU) was about 40 per cent less than the average wholesale price for the Asia‑Pacific region. The Australian price was also around one-third less than the average wholesale price in Asia. Australia’s leading trade partners Japan, South Korea and China all paid average wholesale gas prices over $US8 and in some cases approaching $US12/MMBTU.
Oil price spike boosts Bass Oil’s bottom line, despite shutdowns
Australian-based, Indonesian oil producer, Bass Oil has released a monthly operations update for April 2019 production from the Tangai-Sukananti field onshore Indonesia of 20,273 barrels of oil (11,150 barrels of oil net to Bass). Bass said monthly oil production and sales were down slightly during March with April production rates averaging 676 bopd. However, oil prices were up 8% during April. The average monthly realised oil price was US$67.39 compared with a monthly average oil price of US$62.49 per barrel recorded in March.