TGS forced to divert GoM survey crew

Offshore staff
HOUSTON -- The recent rig fire and ongoing spill in Mississippi Canyon block 252 in the Gulf of Mexico has impacted TGS’ Justice Wide Azimuth (WAZ) survey.

The survey started in January and was due to be completed mid-year. However, acquisition was temporarily halted on April 20 when all nearby vessels were called to aid the rescue effort. Following their release by the US Coast Guard less than 24 hours later, the TGS vessels re-started data acquisition for the Justice WAZ program, continuing operations through the morning of April 30.
On that day the Coast Guard established a vessel exclusion zone in the area of the resultant oil spill. Due to safety concerns, the WAZ crew was told to leave the area to facilitate access for the spill containment and dispersant efforts.

Later in the day, TGS moved the crew to an adjacent project area away from the exclusion zone. The company plans to keep acquiring multi-client data in this nearby area until more information is available concerning the duration of the clean-up effort.

Although TGS aims to return to the Justice project as soon as conditions allow, this incident will likely affect the timing of the completion of Justice WAZ Survey.

05/03/2010