A UK Government funded project to acquire new seismic data over underexplored areas of the North Sea in a bid to boost exploration in the basin has completed.
The £20 million program saw WesternGeco acquire 20,000km of new 2D seismic shot over 200,000sq km using the Vespucci seismic vessel (pictured), says the regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority. The program was over areas with sparse seismic coverage in the Rockall Trough and Mid-North Sea High regions.
Government funding for seismic acquisition was called for by Sir Ian Wood in last year's Wood Review report, which was commissioned to outline current state of the industry and recommendations to improve the dire exploration rates and low production performance.
The new data comes as the Oil and Gas Authority, which was also brought about as a result of the Wood Review, is currently preparing for the 29th Round on the UK Continental Shelf. It is due to be announced next year and is to focus on frontier areas, using the data from the seismic campaign.
The new seismic data will be complemented by other legacy datasets, as well as additional seismic information contributed by WesternGeco from the 2014 Atlantic Margin survey, to create a combined data package of 40,000 km.
Gunther Newcombe, OGA’s Director of Exploration and Production, said: “Seismic data is currently being processed by WesternGeco and data packages will be made freely available when they are finalized towards the end of Q1 2016. We are confident the results will highlight the significant opportunities that remain on the UKCS and will aim to announce the 29th Offshore Licensing Round next year, focusing on frontier areas.”
Oonagh Werngren, Oil & Gas UK Operations Director, said: “The completion of the data acquisition stage of the seismic program is very good news at a time when the sector is challenged with attracting fresh investment into the UKCS. It clearly demonstrates that government and industry can work together to make a significant contribution to developing understanding of the basin. By ensuring that the data will be made available to both industry and academia, the OGA is promoting maximum value from the surveys, which will help to stimulate further exploration activity in the UK.”
Other projects to help boost exploration include the ongoing 21st Century Exploration Roadmap Palaeozoic Study, managed by the British Geological Survey in collaboration with industry.
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Image: The MG Vespucci. Photo from OGA.
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