Offshore staff
OSLO, Norway – Seismic acquisition can go ahead in the eastern part of the Barents Sea from July 7, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).
The formalities concerning Norway and Russia’s Treaty on Maritime Delimitation and Cooperation in the Barents Sea and Arctic Ocean have been completed, allowing the survey to start as planned within the ensuing 30 days.
NPD will be responsible for seismic acquisition on behalf of the Norwegian authorities, with PGS’Harrier Explorer performing the work.
The vessel is currently sailing to the Jan Mayen region, where it should start seismic acquisition on June 10, with the program set to last between three and four weeks.
It will then head to the eastern part of the Barents Sea, the voyage probably taking four to five days.
Under the agreement with PGS, the vessel has been hired for three months with an optional extension of one further month. Activity in the eastern Barents Sea East will likely take two to three months.
PGS will employGeostreamer, its new technology for 2D seismic acquisition. Here the streamer (in this case 8 km, or 4.9 mi long), is towed deeper into the water than with conventional seismic acquisition.
This allows the streamer to withstand higher waves, making the acquisition activity less dependent on weather and therefore theoretically more efficient.
06/09/2011
