Task Geoscience and Fronterra Integrated Geosciences are to merge to become geoscience consultancy – the Task Fronterra Group.
Task Fronterra has received a financial injection of growth capital investment from the UK's Business Growth Fund, which will take a minority stake.
Task Geoscience was founded in 2001, and Fronterra in 2003. Both are independent geological consultancies providing data processing, borehole image interpretation and reservoir modelling services to the major operators in the oil & gas industry.
The firms say the merger has created the largest independent geoscience company specializing in the use of borehole imaging and core integration, which allows it to improve clients' understanding of oil and gas reservoirs through analysis of the well bore geology and surrounding faults and fractures.
Task-Fronterra has a global footprint, with 10 offices across North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, with more than 80 experienced geoscientists.
Task-Fronterra will be run by the founder and CEO of Task, Lawrence Bourke, who is supported by a senior management team from across both businesses.
In addition two senior non-executives, Will Davie and John Forrest, have joined the board. Will Davie brings over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry including geosciences, with numerous senior management positions within Schlumberger.
John Forrest was previously MD of Talisman's North Sea business, before which he held several senior roles at Mobil.
Task-Fronterra's proprietary software, attitude, allows clients to analyze and visualize surfaces within and between wells in a unique and intuitive manner. The use of Task-Fronterra's workflows, together with interwell analysis using attitude allows the identification of sub-seismic faults and fault systems, which can improve certainty in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and reduce the risk of poor well positioning with respect to faults. This is important in mature basins such as in the North Sea, where poor EOR well placement can result in early water breakthrough.