Industry players work on improved seismic solution

Var Energi, a joint venture between Italy's Eni and Norway's HitecVision, announced on December 16 it had joined Project BASS, which aims to develop a new seismic data collection technology that has a smaller environmental impact and is more accurate.

The project is led by the UK's Shearwater GeoServices and also involves Norway's Equinor and Sweden's Lundin.

"The goal of the project is to develop a new low-impact acoustic source. In addition to the environmental dimension, the project also seeks to produce a higher technological accuracy and improved seismic data quality for locating, quantifying and monitoring hydrocarbon resources, which will lead to improved recovery and value creation," Var's geophysical manager, Alexandre Bertrand, said.

Var said Project BASS was a top priority in its research and development strategy and was in line with the company's mission to become a leader on the Norwegian shelf in terms of environmental, social and governance credentials.

"Replacing the traditional technology would revolutionise the seismic survey process and strengthen our sustainability performance," R&D manager Gjertrud Halset said.