Aker BP looking to extend MantaRay deployments to exploration offshore Norway

Aker BP and PXGEO have agreed to collaborate to deploy seismic acquisition technology to enhance subsurface exploration and development activities offshore Norway.

The partnership will follow Aker BP’s “One Team” model involving alliances with supplier/service companies that involve common goals with shared benefits and risk.

According to the Norwegian major, recent results from seismic imaging and seismic velocity model-building derived from ocean-bottom node (OBN) data on the Norwegian Continental Shelf have been superior to seismic data obtained using other methods.

Traditionally, however, OBN data has been time-consuming and costly to acquire, and it has to date been applied mainly for field development projects and 4D monitoring surveys.

PXGEO’s hovering, fully electric MantaRay autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is designed to deploy and recover OBNs with minimized impact on the sea floor. Aker BP says the technology can shorten seismic acquisition times substantially, and the company is interested in using it to acquire large-scale OBN surveys for exploration purposes.

In addition, it believes that MantaRay could be used to acquire more detailed and accurate images of the subsurface, with reduced operational risks and environmental footprint.

MantaRay can operate at speeds of up to 5 knots, andit can carry/place up to 40 nodes in water depths of up to 3,000 m.