Two PGS Vessels Kick-Start Surveys Offshore Norway

(Credit: PGS)

Norwegian seismic company PGS has started seismic survey operations in the northern hemisphere, using two Titan-class Ramform vessels and an ultra-high-res 3D spread.

PGS’ Ramform Tethys has picked up the reins on the 2024 Norwegian Sea GeoStreamer X survey, adding new coverage and a new layer of understanding in this exploration hotspot.

Acquisition design includes wide-towed sources and dense streamers for improved near-offset distribution, and also long streamer tails for accurate velocity model building.

By the end of the season the PGS data library will offer around 20 000 sq. km of GeoStreamer X data in the Norwegian Sea, the company said.

Meanwhile, the Ramform Hyperion has begun work on the Outer Vøring that extends a project initiated in 2023.

Towing a tailored GeoStreamer 3D spread, the vessel is mapping an exploration sweet spot for natural gas, across open blocks with pipeline capacity that are available for licensing in Norway’s APA 2024 round.

This was a popular area in the 2023 APA and this new acquisition covers new areas for the 2024 blocks.

In addition, the Sanco Swift has just completed of its second offshore wind site characterization in the New York Bight and will shortly head back across the Atlantic to commence a third such project in the Southern North Sea.

The vessel will deploy an ultra-high-resolution 3D spread. PGS said its geophysicists and engineers have applied new configurations to increase efficiency and improve target resolution of this technology, which was designed for acquiring ultra-high-resolution seismic of the shallowest subsurface areas, adapting this to the specific needs of offshore wind.