Today is the closing day of EAGE 2013, this year held in London at the ExCeL London Exhibition and Convention Centre.
During the event, Sam Borman, SVP, sales and marketing, with CGG’s marine division, outlined the firm's fleet and its capabilities, including joint use of BroadSeis and BroadSource and its multi-client StagSeis project in the Gulf of Mexico.
How is the CGG fleet looking after the arrival of the vessels from Fugro in February?
We now have 23 vessels in our fleet with the four C-class vessels, the Caribbean, Coral, Celtic and Caspian, already totally integrated and making a positive contribution. Our recently announced 93% production rate for the first quarter of 2013 indicates the good operating performance of the entire fleet and those newly acquired vessels in particular.
Organizationally, all our vessels and crews are now aligned with our onboard HSE management and work practice systems and demonstrating a high level of performance and operational efficiency.
Our BroadSeis upgrade plan is continuing apace. All of our existing vessels were already BroadSeis-capable and we expect the four C-class vessels to be fully BroadSeis-capable by Q4 2013. So far the Coral and Caspian have already been upgraded and are currently engaged on BroadSeis surveys.
How do you view industry take-up of BroadSeis?
We’re seeing a continuing increase in client demand for broadband and, more importantly, what we call true broadband solutions such as BroadSeis which combines specific acquisition and processing technology and delivering the full six octaves of bandwidth. So far we have acquired over 50 BroadSeis surveys, representing 21,000 km of 2D and 100,000 km2 of 3D and wide-azimuth data, including 4D, shallow water and long-offset data. This is nearly five times the size of Wales.
As an idea of its growing share of our activity, BroadSeis has grown from 20 % of our activity in 2011 to 35 % in 2012 and this year we expect BroadSeis to represent some 70% of our current activity.
What difference does BroadSource make to BroadSeis?
BroadSource complements BroadSeis to provide ghost-free broadband data. It is a multi-level synchronized source that has all the advantages, in terms of reliability, directivity and stability, of a conventional source and is the only broadband source that can be used in flip-flop mode, doubling the productivity on high-end broadband surveys. It’s definitely gaining momentum and we’ve now acquired surveys in India, Australia, and Vietnam as well as in the North Sea. BroadSeis with BroadSource has proved ideal for the North Sea and the NW shelf of Australia, where we have surveys in progress and are seeing new levels of resolution in both the near-surface and for deeper targets.
Is BroadSeis available for 4D surveys?
Yes, BroadSeis can be matched to any previous baseline survey, by downgrading the BroadSeis data and optionally upgrading the baseline, depending on the signal-to-noise levels in the data. In 2011 and 2012 we acquired a series of BroadSeis 4D pilot surveys over various 4D reservoirs which culminated in our first full-scale BroadSeis 4D survey for an oil major offshore Angola. Initial data results show a staggering image quality and uplift over previous conventional surveys, and we expect this to be matched by significant improvements in the resolution of the 4D signal.
We’ve already demonstrated the backward and forward compatibility of BroadSeis 4D, and we expect some of our many BroadSeis 3D surveys to become baseline 4D surveys in the future. BroadSeis 4D has all the benefits of BroadSeis 3D and more, as it provides the highest-resolution 4D signal and the quantitative inversion results delivered by the best-quality low frequencies are even more important in 4D.
What impact will the launch of Sercel’s Sentinel MS multi-sensor streamer have on your fleet’s capabilities?
BroadSeis deploys the patented Sercel Sentinel solid streamer which is the quietest streamer in the industry and helps BroadSeis achieve the best low frequencies in the industry. The next evolution of BroadSeis will come with the integration of the Sentinel MS streamer. We expect the additional directional information combined with the full six octaves of bandwidth provided by BroadSeis to set new standards in broadband marine seismic imaging. We anticipate that BroadSeis, with the Sentinel MS, will give new insights into the reservoir with improved imaging and inversion results. Our fleet is fully prepared for a progressive roll-out of the Sentinel MS in the near future.
How is your StagSeis multi-client program progressing in the Gulf of Mexico?
The first phase, IBALT, was a great success and we’re already acquiring the second phase, Deux, which doubles the initial survey area and has significant industry support. Processing of IBALT is well underway and Fast-Trax results will be delivered to clients four months after completion of acquisition. StagSeis, our proprietary staggered vessel configuration, provides ultra-long offsets up to 18 km and consistent full-azimuth coverage up to 9 km and also incorporates BroadSeis. It’s already giving new insights into the sub-salt targets in the Keathley Canyon area and discussions are underway for a third phase which could be acquired in 2014. We definitely see potential for StagSeis to be applied in other challenging geological areas such as other subsalt and sub-basalt plays around the world such as offshore Brazil and Angola.