TGS and Schlumberger have announced a strategic collaboration for multiclient ocean-bottom node projects in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GoM) on May 22.

This collaboration includes the 2,350 sq km (907 sq miles) Amendment Phase 1 project in the Mississippi Canyon and Atwater Valley protraction areas. Supported by industry prefunding, Amendment Phase 1 commenced in early 2019 and data acquisition is expected to complete in third-quarter 2019. Under the collaboration agreement, TGS and WesternGeco, the geophysical services product line of Schlumberger, will work together to develop opportunities to co-invest in additional multiclient ocean-bottom node projects in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

Both TGS and WesternGeco have extensive, high-quality multiclient libraries of seismic and other geoscience data in the GoM. The combination of ocean-bottom node data, the associated velocity model improvement, full-waveform inversion and other data processing techniques will significantly improve imaging of complex subsalt structures. By collaborating and using the available underlying data, WesternGeco and TGS will be able to produce a higher-quality product for clients than would otherwise be available over the areas of interest.

Ocean-bottom node technology has traditionally been focused on development and time-lapse 4-D seismic applications, but multiclient node projects will also have significant impact on near-field and greenfield activities.