Viridien, TGS and Aquila Holdings announce the successful completion of the Utsira OBN reprocessing project

Paris, France | Nov 4, 2024

Viridien and its partners TGS and Aquila Holdings ASA (under its subsidiary Axxis Multi-client AS) are pleased to announce the completion and delivery of the reprocessing of the Utsira ocean bottom node (OBN) seismic survey in the Norwegian North Sea. The reprocessing project has received significant industry support and leverages strong demand for high-definition seismic imaging in this highly prospective area.

Utsira is the largest OBN survey conducted on the Norwegian Continental Shelf and required the deployment of more than 144,000 nodes and over 5.5 million shots. Covering an area of 2077 square kilometers in a mature part of the North Sea, the survey was acquired in 2018 and 2019, and the initial processing results delivered in 2020.

Viridien reprocessed the resulting data set with its latest OBN imaging technologies, including time-lag full-waveform inversion, and advanced velocity model building techniques, to yield significant improvements in image resolution and frequency content for fault interpretation and reservoir characterization workflows.

The Utsira area holds several significant oil and gas fields, including Edvard Grieg, Ivar Aasen, Balder, Gina Krog, Gudrun and Johan Sverdrup, along with a number of undeveloped discoveries and prospects.

Nils Haugestad, interim CEO of Aquila Holdings, said: “We are pleased to have partnered with Viridien and TGS to develop this next generation ocean bottom node data set in this mature and prolific petroleum basin. We are confident that our significantly improved image of the area will maximize our clients’ prospects for making new discoveries as well as optimizing existing production.”

David Hajovsky, Executive Vice President of Multi-Client at TGS commented, “Through the reprocessing of this OBN data, TGS, in collaboration with Viridien and Aquila Holdings, can equip our clients with the resources to unlock the full potential of this well-established and highly productive petroleum basin. Whether through uncovering new reserves or optimizing current operations, this data offers valuable insights that will greatly enhance understanding of the region.”

Dechun Lin, EVP, Earth Data, Viridien, said: “As the world’s leading OBN seismic imaging company, we are delighted to have been able to bring our technology and expertise to this major OBN reprocessing project undertaken together with our partners, Aquila Holdings and TGS.  The new time-lag FWI model and resulting high-resolution images improve fault interpretation and reservoir characterization, enabling operators to make more informed exploration, production, and reservoir management decisions.”

Location map showing the Heimdal Terrace, Utsira and Sleipner OBN data coverage