Business news for the week of 27 July 2009

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Seismic crew survey reports

ION provides update on FireFly deployment in East Texas
21 July 2009—ION Geophysical announced that a super-major E&P client has sanctioned the next phase of a high channel count, multicomponent (full-wave) seismic acquisition program in northeast Texas. Data acquisition of the first phase began in May 2009 using a 6100 station (18,300 channel 3-C) FireFly recording system from ION. The E&P company's two primary goals in the initial phase of the program were to generate a seismic data volume that would assist in optimizing the acquisition parameters for an anticipated full-field seismic project and to test FireFly's recording capabilities using vibroseis energy sources. Dawson Geophysical was awarded the contract to acquire the data both for Phase I and the full-field program.


Paradigm launches next-generation StratEarth 2009

21 July 2009—Paradigm announced the release of StratEarth 2009, designed to bridge the gap between seismic and geological interpretation. Offered as an add-on to Paradigm SeisEarth, StratEarth provides a tightly integrated geological correlation and cross-section environment for evaluating and assessing reservoirs for better well positioning and field management.

StratEarth fully incorporates geologic and seismic data to facilitate advanced workflows that support exploration and development projects from initial interpretation to advanced subsurface modeling. Furthermore, the software suite enables users to automatically correlate hundreds of wells and quickly detect any inconsistencies between seismic data, petrophysical data, well markers and geological data in markers positions and orders.

Paradigm introduces GeoDepth Tomography for advanced seismic processing
22 July 2009—Paradigm announced the release of GeoDepth Tomography, a next-generation grid-based velocity model solution that enables geophysicists to rapidly update the largest velocity models developed from complex geologic regimes. Tomography is the newest addition to the Paradigm GeoDepth software suite.

The GeoDepth Tomography solution addresses the computational, interpretational, and acquisitional challenges of updating large and complex velocity models for critical seismic assets. It provides added capacity for handling rich azimuth acquisitions and updating anisotropic parameters in sedimentary layers.

GeoDepth Tomography leverages the Paradigm high-performance computing infrastructure as well as its interpretation solutions to deliver automatic velocity updates. The solution minimizes iteration cycles by combining rich, high quality ray tracing with new tools that automatically reflect surface picking and prestack residual moveouts.

Paradigm releases Rock & Fluid Canvas 2009 | Epos 4.0
21 July 2009—Paradigm announced that the new Rock & Fluid Canvas 2009 | Epos 4.0 is available to customers. This multidisciplinary continuum of exploration and development solutions enables oil and gas companies and oil service companies to advance the search for quality prospects and new plays, and their development of existing fields, by providing new and industry-leading applications for geophysics, geology, petrophysics, modeling, and drilling engineering.

Rock & Fluid Canvas 2009 | Epos 4.0 is a synchronized software release for supporting projects that incorporate data analysis, data interpretation, Earth modeling, and model validation, all on a common platform. Designed for areas of operational and technical complexity, the Rock & Fluid 2009 software suite enables geoscientists to transform field data to quality interpretations and subsurface models for exploration, reservoir management, well planning, and drilling.

The Rock & Fluid Canvas 2009 applications operate on an open infrastructure (Epos 4.0) that allows for seamless operations across different E&P disciplines.

WesternGeco acquiring new 3D survey in the Barents Sea
29 July 2009—WesternGeco is acquiring a new 3D survey in the Barents Sea consisting of 2680 km2 over quadrants 7219 and 7220. The survey is an extension of the 2008 West Loppa survey, over blocks that were awarded in Norway’s twentieth round and open acreage. 2D mapping has shown interesting structures and amplitude anomalies at several stratigraphic levels. The new 3D data are being acquired by the Geco Triton, which began acquisition in June. Fully processed data will be available early in 2010.

Spectrum commences seismic survey in eastern Gulf of Mexico
22 July 2009—GGS-Atlantic commenced the acquisition of Spectrum's Big Wave Phase 2 multi client seismic survey in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Phase 2 of Spectrum's Big Wave multiclient program is a total of 14,000 km long offset, high quality seismic data and includes a 2000 km well tie survey to the east of the main study area. This new survey compliments the previously acquired data sets and will expand Spectrum's coverage in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to over 52,000 km.

Spectrum's seismic vessel, GGS-Atlantic, will be fully utilized acquiring Phase 2 until December 2009. Seismic data processing will be undertaken by Spectrum's data processing and imaging facility in Houston, where a sequence including both prestack time and prestack depth migration will be applied.

The survey in the Gulf of Mexico has already attracted significant interest. To date 5 major oil companies have signed up to Phase 2 ensuring it is close to being fully prefunded.

Rock Solid Images commences seismic attribute and inversion study offshore South Africa
29 July 2009—Rock Solid Images, a member of the OHM Group, announced that they have commenced a comprehensive rock physics-driven seismic attribute and inversion study for PetroSA involving six 2D seismic lines, four wells and 1500 km2 of 3D seismic in Block 1 in the Orange River Basin, offshore western South Africa. The expected play types include an incised valley fluvial play, analogous to the Ibhubesi gas field where Rock Solid Images conducted two similar projects in 2002 and a combined stratigraphic/structural trap play, analogous to the Kudu gas field to the north-west, offshore Namibia where Rock Solid Images conducted a comprehensive rock physics study in 2007.