Sonardyne supplies Magseis with seismic node positioning equipment
The Norwegian seismic services provider, Magseis has awarded the UK subsea technology manufacturer, Sonardyne International Ltd, a major contract for seabed node acoustic positioning technology to support its expanding deepwater survey activities and its vision for fully-automated node handling and efficient back-deck Ocean Bottom Seismic (OBS) operations.
The order includes a large quantity of Sonardyne’s newly developed SST 6 (Small Seismic Transponder 6) and associated vessel-based acoustic positioning system, Ranger 2 USBL (Ultra-Short BaseLine). The hardware, which will allow Magseis to quickly and accurately deploy seismic nodes in water depths of up to 3,000m, is scheduled to be fully-operational by the spring of 2018.
The use of stationary seabed nodes is becoming increasingly commonplace in seismic investigations and geophysicists generally agree that the method delivers reservoir imagery of the highest-possible definition.
However, any uncertainty in node positions can distort the resulting images making it more difficult to interpret the behaviour of underlying reservoirs. Sonardyne’s SST devices are attached to cables adjacent to each node and, when used in conjunction with Ranger 2 installed on a surface vessel, overcome this problem by providing high-quality, repeatable positioning both during deployment and once the nodes have landed on the seabed.
By Helen Atkinson
