Jul.23.2018
Source: OffshoreEnergyToday.com
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has awarded contracts
worth $1.6bn (AED 5.88bn) for the world’s largest continuous 3D
onshore and offshore seismic survey, covering an area up to
53,000 square kilometers.
The contracts were awarded as the company continues to identify
and unlock new opportunities and maximize value from its
hydrocarbon resources and deliver on its 2030 smart growth
strategy, ADNOC said.
The agreement was signed on the eve of a State Visit to the UAE
by China’s President Xi Jinping, by Abdulmunim Al Kindy, ADNOC’s
Upstream Director, and Gou Liang, President of BGP. The signing
was witnessed by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State
and ADNOC Group CEO, and Wang Yilin, Chairman of CNPC.
Adding to the 2D and 3D seismic data already acquired across Abu
Dhabi, the new seismic survey will cover an area of up to 30,000
km2 offshore and 23,000 km2 onshore. The contract has been
awarded by ADNOC to BGP Inc., a subsidiary of China National
Petroleum Company (CNPC), who are represented in the UAE by Al
Masaood Oil Industry Supplies & Services Co. (Al Masaood Oil
& Gas).
Dr. Al Jaber said: “The announcement of the world’s largest
continuous 3D seismic survey, and, with it, the deployment of
cutting-edge exploration technologies is an important step in
realizing the full potential of Abu Dhabi’s conventional and
unconventional oil and gas resources as we deliver on our 2030
smart growth strategy”.
“The scale of the project shows ADNOC’s commitment to upstream
investment and to bolstering our oil and gas reserves and
production for the long-term. The award, following a highly
competitive bid process, also represents another key milestone
in ADNOC’s thriving partnership with CNPC, and the UAE’s
strategic energy partnership with China.”
According to ADNOC, the acquisition will capture high resolution
three-dimensional images of the complex subsurface structure, up
to 25,000 feet below the surface.
Wang Yilin said: “We are delighted to be awarded this hugely
important contract to conduct the world’s largest onshore and
offshore seismic survey. ADNOC has embarked on an ambitious
project to explore and unlock hydrocarbon reserves and BGP is
best placed to bring industry leading technology to Abu Dhabi to
support this program.”
Using seismic streaming vessels and ocean bottom nodes to
acquire data in Abu Dhabi waters, and vibrator trucks to survey
the onshore desert areas, the survey is scheduled to be
completed by 2024.
ADNOC recently announced Abu Dhabi’s first ever block licensing
strategy with the launch of six geographical oil and gas blocks
open for bidding, and the seismic project will include areas
within these blocks with the data made available at a fee to the
successful bidders.
Using the resources of ADNOC’s Thamama Subsurface Collaboration
Centre, the seismic data, from the survey results, will be
interpreted by geoscientists and used to characterize and model
potential hydrocarbon reservoirs, helping ADNOC identify
untapped reservoirs and identify future oil and gas development
and production opportunities in the most efficient way possible.
The UAE is one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers,
with about 96% of its reserves within the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Located in one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon super-basins,
there remains undiscovered and undeveloped potential in the
numerous stacked reservoirs.
CNPC is one of ADNOC’s largest international partners, with 40-year stakes in Abu Dhabi’s major onshore and offshore concessions. It is also a 40% joint venture partner in Al Yasat Petroleum.
Credits: ADNOC