CGG Completes NPD Study

CGG’s Satellite Mapping group announced Tuesday that it had recently completed a high-resolution hydrocarbon seeps study commissioned by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD).

The aim of the project was to increase petroleum system knowledge across a relatively data-poor area of the northern Barents Sea, CGG noted. To meet the requirements of the study, CGG Satellite Mapping said it custom-tasked Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites to acquire a large collection of high-spatial-resolution SAR imagery at a high revisit frequency.

Subsequent advanced processing and analysis by its experts identified the presence of small-scale naturally occurring seepage slick features, which the group said unlocked valuable subsurface intelligence. 

“By applying our world-leading remote sensing knowledge to imagery delivered by the latest satellite missions our Satellite Mapping group provides clients with previously unobtainable insights into the presence and behavior of natural seepage in offshore environments,” Richard Burren, the director of Satellite Mapping, CGG, said in a company statement.

“These studies hold great value for increasing geologic system knowledge and decreasing risk, which is of particular interest across marginal areas of mature basins at present,” he added in the statement.

“They also complement our Seep Explorer product, the industry’s only integrated global onshore and offshore seeps database for regional-to-target subsurface source de-risking,” Burren went on to say.

CGG Satellite Mapping has over 25 years of experience in the detection and characterization of offshore seeps and slicks based on its remote sensing processing and analysis of SAR satellite imagery. CGG, which describes itself as a global geoscience technology leader, employs around 4,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in France and has locations all around the globe.

The NPD is a governmental specialist directorate and administrative body, which reports to the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy. Its primary objective is to contribute to the greatest possible values from the oil and gas activities to the Norwegian society, through efficient and
responsible resource management, the organization’s website states.

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