SLB, Viridien begin large-scale offshore seismic surveys for Egypt gas exploration drive

Egypt is kicking off some of the region's largest ocean-bottom node (OBN) seismic programs, with SLB and Viridien set to acquire new subsurface data offshore in the Eastern Mediterranean and Gulf of Suez to support future exploration and drilling activity.

Jeremy Beckman

Oct. 29, 2026

2 min read

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Why this news matters:

The surveys could help identify new natural gas exploration targets in two of Egypt's most strategically important offshore basins.
The 1,035-sq-km Gulf of Suez program is described as the region's largest OBN survey of its kind, highlighting growing investment in advanced seismic imaging technologies.
Egypt says previous OBN campaigns improved drilling success rates significantly, underscoring the potential value of higher-resolution subsurface data for future offshore development.

Commander vessel to begin seismic survey operations upon its arrival in Port Said — The seismic survey vessel *BGP Commander* will support offshore seismic acquisition activities in Egypt, where new OBN surveys are planned across the Eastern Mediterranean and Gulf of Suez.

SLB and Viridien, in partnership with the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co. (EGAS), are due to start ocean-bottom node (OBN) operations Oct. 30 in the Egyptian sector of the Eastern Mediterranean.

According to Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, this will be one of the largest offshore seismic survey projects of its type in the region.

The goals are to deliver high-resolution geological data on subsurface structures with potential for natural gas accumulations, and to identify promising exploration areas.

Project at a glance

Item	Details
Location	Eastern Mediterranean offshore Egypt; Gulf of Suez
Operators/Partners	EGAS, SLB, Viridien; EGPC, GUPCO, Dragon Oil
Technology	OBN seismic acquisition
Initial Survey Area	~300 sq km (Denise area offshore Port Said and Ras El Bar)
Gulf of Suez Coverage	1,035 sq km
Objective	Identify new hydrocarbon prospects and improve subsurface imaging
Timeline	2026 survey phase continuing into 2027 preparations

The Far Commander will be the first vessel to work on in the project, with two further vessels due to participate.

Survey operations will cover the Denise area offshore Port Said and Ras El Bar, with the initial area estimated at about 300 sq km. This phase is due to be completed by the end of 2026, and it will continue alongside preparations for subsequent phases in 2027.

OBN survey expands advanced seismic imaging across Gulf of Suez

SLB has also just signed a new contract to deploy OBN technology over GUPCO's concession areas in the central and southern Gulf of Suez, with work due to start next month.

Overall the project will cover a 1,035-sq-km area, the largest of its kind using OBN technology in the region, according to the Ministry.

The program, which will build on efforts to develop exploration activities in the Gulf of Suez, is a cooperation between EGPC and Dragon Oil, the investment partner in GUPCO.

Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi said the use of OBN technology in the Gulf of Suez had helped increasing drilling success rates from 26% to 80%. This new project, he added, will form an extension of a previous successful seismic survey phase.

He added that Dragon Oil's experience with modern technology had helped raise GUPCO's field production to its highest levels since 2019.

Contributors:

Ariana Hurtado

About the Author

Jeremy Beckman

Staff Writer / Editor, Europe

Jeremy Beckman has been Editor Europe, Offshore since 1992. Prior to joining Offshore he was a freelance journalist for eight years, working for a variety of electronics, computing and scientific journals in the UK. He regularly writes news columns on trends and events both in the NW Europe offshore region and globally. He also writes features on developments and technology in exploration and production.