INDUSTRY NEWS
Magseis orders node tracking for Red Sea seabed seismic survey
Artemis Athene.
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orwegian seabed seismic services company Magseis has chosen acoustic position-
ing equipment from UK-based Sonardyne to support its upcoming deep water ocean bottom seismic survey of the Red Sea for Saudi Aramco in partnership with Chinese geophysical contractor BGP.
Beginning in July, the S78 project with the Artemis Athene vessel is expected to last nine months and will involve the deployment of a large network of ocean bottom recording nodes. Each node will be accurately positioned using Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 USBL (Ultra-Short BaseLine) and Small Seismic Transponder (SST) technologies. Sonardyne says seismic surveillance surveys conducted using stationary receivers deployed on the seabed are becoming increasingly commonplace as geophysicists generally agree that this method delivers the highest possible definition imagery. Any uncertainty in node positions can blur these pictures and make the underlying reservoirs more difficult to spot. Sonardyne’s Ranger 2 USBL installed on a surface vessel, coupled with SSTs fitted close to each node, is designed to overcome this
problem by providing high quality, repeatable positioning in all water depths. In the Red Sea survey, Magseis will deploy its proprietary Marine Autonomous Seismic System (MASS), which uses thousands of small nodes to create a grid pattern of receivers on the seabed. Magseis will attach the SSTs near to the nodes at regular intervals along the cable. Each SST will be tracked in real-time using the Ranger 2 GyroUSBL transceiver permanently installed on the vessel. Magseis has also ordered Sonardyne’s Lightweight Release Transponders (LRTs) and rope canisters to enable recovery of seafloor equipment following data acquisition. When commanded to do so, LRTs float back up to the surface, enabling the equipment to which they are attached, to be hauled up.
Full speed ahead on Leviathan
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oble Energy is contracting the drillship ENSCO DS-7 to drill two wells and complete four production wells at the Leviathan field development offshore
Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. The contract is expected to begin in March 2018 and be completed in December 2018. The contract also includes four one-well priced customer
options that if fully exercised would extend the contract into 2020. For the project, ENSCO DS-7 will be upgraded with a second blowout preventer.
Shake-up ahead for ADNOC offshore concessions
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bu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is in advanced discussions with more than a dozen potential partners regarding an offshore concession due to expire next March, currently operated by the Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO). The potential partners are a mix of existing concession holders in ADNOC’s offshore fields and new participants. The concession involves a mix of the Lower Zakum field, Umm Shaif, Nasr, Umm Lulu and Satah Al Razboot (SARB) fields. ADNOC, on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government, will retain a 60% shareholding in the new concession areas. ADNOC recently unveiled the expansion of its strategic partnership model, as well as active management of its portfolio of assets. The company’s new approach builds on its flexible and enhanced operating model as well as its 2030 growth strategy across the Group. The existing ADMA-OPCO concession will be split into two, or more, conces-
sions with new terms to unlock greater value and increase partnership opportunities. Following ADNOC’s 2016 announcement to consolidate the offshore operations of ADMAOPCO and the Zakum Development Company (ZADCO), the new ADMA concessions and the existing Upper Zakum concession, operated by ZADCO, will be operated by the new integrated offshore company, capitalizing on operational synergies and enhanced performance. The consolidation of the two companies is due to be completed before the end of the year. As ADNOC looks to boost oil production capacity to 3.5 million b/d in 2018, offshore development is a strategic focus of the company. The existing concession area operated by ADMA-OPCO, which produces around 700,000 b/d of oil, is planned to have a production capacity of about 1.0 million b/d by 2021.
EAGE NEWSLETTER MIDDLE EAST ISSUE 2 2017
Existing shareholders in ADMA-OPCO are BP (14.67%), Total (13.33%) and JODCO (12%). The international shareholders in ZADCO are ExxonMobil (28%) and JODCO (12%). The Abu Dhabi Government, through ADNOC, has a 60% interest in both operating companies.
Umu Lulu Installation offshore Abu Dhabi.
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