Shearwater collaborates with Norwegian operators on seismic survey tech

Norwegian offshore seismic vessel player Shearwater GeoServices has joined forces with Equinor, Vår Energi and Lundin Energy Norway to accelerate the development and commercialisation of a sustainable marine vibratory source technology to minimise environmental footprint and enhance data quality from seismic data acquisition.

This project builds on the existing technology cooperation between Shearwater, Equinor and the Norwegian Research Council, with Vår Energi and Lundin Energy Norway now joining and ensuring funding and commitment for the multi-year development.

“The joint ambition is to acquire better quality seismic data, faster and with low sound energy by harvesting the untapped potential of marine vibratory sources,” said Massimo Virgilio, CTO of Shearwater GeoServices. “We are investing in this technology as a solution for the energy transition enabling monitoring of carbon storage and efficient exploration and production of energy.”

Geophysical subsurface imaging uses sound energy to generate reflections from geological formations below the ocean floor. According to Shearwater, by selecting only the necessary sound frequencies and emitting gradually over time and space, marine vibroseis potentially allows optimal signal strength and direction towards subsurface targets, enabling surveys to be shorted in duration and with low sound emissions.

“Equinor has supported this development for several years already, as we believe this new source technology has potential to reduce the environmental impact of marine seismic surveys further and to increase survey efficiency. With better control of the frequency, phase and amplitude of the emitted signal, the new source should also provide an improvement in data quality,” added Nick Ashton, Equinor VP of subsurface solutions technology development.