Seismic vessels, the construction of which at domestic shipyards was approved by President V. Putin, will be designed with the involvement of foreign designers, since Russian experience in this matter is insufficient. The correspondent of IA "Morvest.Ru" was informed about this by Sergey Suchkov, deputy general director, Managing Director of PJSC "Rosgeologia" at the forum "Arctic: from forecasts to development", which took place in Moscow.
Earlier it was reported that President Vladimir Putin approved the construction in Russia of two seismic vessels on the Arctic shelf for 15 billion rubles. at the expense of the budget.
“In the current conditions of the sanctions regime, the Russian Federation as a whole is able to provide itself with the full implementation of the volume of seismic works in 2D format due to the available fleet and equipment in the period up to 2018,” says the letter of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin (overseeing issues related to mining Fossil), sent on July 12 to President Vladimir Putin.
In the segment of 3D seismic exploration, a "more critical" situation has developed, he warns: the existing capacities can provide no more than 20% of the market volume. In addition, the average age of the vessels is 28 years, and the wear and tear of the scientific fleet exceeds 80%.
“3-D seismic exploration in Russia is completely dependent on foreign companies, because the domestic fleet is too weak,” Sergei Suchukov said at the Arctic: from forecasts to development forum. - The seismic exploration fleet that exists in Russia today consists of only two vessels. One is owned by Sovcomflot, this is Vyacheslav Tikhonov, equipped with eight braids. This is not enough, the technology can already be considered backward, especially for extremely limited periods of work in the North. A large area of exploration is difficult to accomplish on this vessel in the short season that researchers have at their disposal in the Arctic. Further, there is another 3-D seismic survey vessel. This is Akademik Nemchinov, which is on the balance sheet of Rosgeologia, and has only four braids. Such a vessel can carry out only a small amount of seismic survey. "
In 2005–2015, 3D seismic work was carried out in Russia only on 70 thousand square meters. km, which is 1.2% of the territory of the continental shelf of Russia. To complete the "required volume" of 3D seismic work, the Deputy Prime Minister proposes to commission at least two Arctic-class vessels in 2019 "equipped with mainly domestic navigation and seismic equipment."
"Seismic exploration carried out by foreign vessels contradicts the principle of ensuring safety, because this is a leak of data on the Russian shelf during operations," added Sergei Suchkov.
The construction of a modern vessel for 3D seismic exploration will cost about $ 200 million (12.5 billion rubles at the current exchange rate), Yuri Ampilov, professor at Moscow State University, at the Department of Seismometry and Geoacoustics, said in an interview with RBC. Due to the crisis, 70% of such ships are not used in the world, half of which are recently built. Each such vessel could be bought for about $ 50 million, which is four times cheaper than building a new one, he points out. But due to international sanctions, Russia is now unable to buy vessels equipped with specialized seismic equipment.
Time for action or missed opportunities?
SEISMIC SURVEY.
TIME FOR ACTION OR MISSED OPPORTUNITIES?
Ju. AMPILOV, M. TOKAREV, Moscow state University named after M.V. Lomonosov
Significantly reduce costs for exploratory drilling helps seismic exploration - one of the most informative geophysical methods for studying the earth's crust. Seismic exploration allows you to look deep into the earth's crust and discover productive strata, which can be located at a depth of thousands of meters. A detailed study of the authors is about the study of shelf areas by 2D and 3D seismic exploration, about the possibilities of using specialized vessels for these purposes, about their needs for Russia and the world.
Seismic survey are reduce the cost of drilling helps the seismic survey is one of the most informative methods of geophysical studies of the earth’s crust. Seismic survey allows to look deep into the earth's crust and to detect productive layers that may be located at a depth of thousands of meters. About the scrutiny of offshore territories of 2D and 3D seismic survey on the possibilities of use for these purposes, specialized courts, about their need for these goals - detailed research of the author.
Modern seismic vessels on the world market and their loading
Due to the current oil crisis, exploration activity on the world shelf has dropped significantly. This is most clearly demonstrated by the need for drilling rigs. So, back in 2013 it was impossible to find a free jack-up rig on the market even at a daily rate of 600 thousand US dollars. Today, such installations are ready to operate from 150 thousand dollars a day, but many fail to find work even at such a price (Fig. 1).
As a result of a multiple decrease in geological exploration activity on the shelf, almost everywhere the number of operating offshore drilling rigs in the world decreased in 2 years from 460 to 320 (Fig. 2). Since seismic exploration usually precedes drilling, a certain seismic reserve has been created that has not yet been implemented in most companies. Therefore, seismic activity has decreased in relative volumes even more than exploration drilling. Consider a few specific facts, and begin the analysis of the employment of a seismic fleet. In fig. 3 shows the evolution of modern foreign seismic vessels since 1993.
To date, the degree of technological equipment and seaworthiness of specialized seismic vessels has reached perfection. They have a significantly lower noise level than ordinary ships, increased pumping stability, perfect equipment, and many of them, moreover, are powerful onboard computing systems, often exceeding the power of coastal computing centers. This applies, for example, to the Ramform class ships of the PGS company (Fig. 4), as well as to the individual single ships of the WG and CGG companies.
And the ships of the 5th generation of the Ramform Titan class, three of which have already been launched in the last 2 years, significantly exceed the capabilities of their predecessors from the S class, shown in Fig. 4. They can tow up to 24 stitches up to 12 km long each, and the autonomy of such vessels is 150 days. It is another matter that the companies have not yet ordered work with booms, since then conditions for competition in tenders will not be ensured due to the uniqueness of ships of this class. But in the near future, comparable analogs will appear and competitors. 
Thanks to a special case and carefully selected characteristics, their noise is several times lower than that of analogues, the equipment on board allows you to stay on the profile and continue shooting even at wave heights up to 4 - 5 m without significant loss of quality. Is our industry ready to build such a ship and provide it with equipment? We will try to analyze this problem below.
Now let's see how much work there is for such fine ships on the world market. As can be seen from Fig. 5, the peak of offshore seismic surveys occurred in 2011 - 2013, when, on average, 65 3D vessels were working in the sea. In 2016, their number decreased to 40 and approximately the same number is expected in 2017.
In the same proportion, the total number of seismic streamers on all active vessels decreased from 610 to 360. In 2017, their slight increase is predicted - to 390 (Fig. 6).
And average load of one operating vessel decreased from 91% in 2013 to 73% in 2015-2016. (top diagram in Fig. 7). Akak shows the previous practice, when the load is less than 80%, the vessel operates in loss. Attention is drawn to the fact that in 2005-2008. the ships were operating at 100% load, which is now not expected even outside 2020. 
However, the number of ships in operation and the percentage of their load do not yet fully reflect the real economic situation marine seismic survey in the world market. More definitely, this can be judged by how the average daily rate for a vessel changes. From the graph in Fig. 7 it can be seen that an average 10 - 12-string vessel in 2008 could be “sold” at a rate of 330 thousand USD per day, while in 2016 - only for 134 thousand USD. This value does not cover the costs, but companies go for it, zeroing even depreciation deductions in order to minimize their losses. For reference: the daily rate for a 2D vessel over the same period fell not so catastrophically: from 90 thousand USD in 2007 to 55 thousand in 2016. However, the segment of 2D seismic exploration in the world is increasingly fading away, so we do not pay due attention to this issue in this analysis. ABG analysts expect a change in the negative trend in 2017, assuming a 5% increase in daily rates, but they will not allow marine seismic companies to make a profit. This means that the series of bankruptcies may continue in 2017. 
In this unfavorable situation, seismic companies are forced to take all measures not only to reduce costs, but also to increase work productivity. From fig. 8 shows that the average daily productivity has almost doubled since 2011, reaching 70 km 2 per day. Moreover, there are already examples when up to 200 km 2 3D surveys are performed per day, more than 1000 km 2 for the next week, more than 4000 km 2 in a month. From fig. 8 also shows that vessels in operation can annually perform up to 600 thousand km 2 3D even with a 60% load. However, such needs in the world are not foreseen in the coming years, although a few years ago these were normal average annual volumes.
In such a situation, when contract work on orders from oil and gas producers has been reduced to a historical minimum, seismic companies tend to perform more multi-client (speculative) work in order to sell materials to several buyers later. So, in the minimum in terms of activity in 2016, on average, only 10 ships were on contract work, and 15 - on multi-client (Fig. 9). However, this requires considerable own funds, which at the moment there are few people. Pareto experts expect that after a while, with a relative stabilization of the situation, the ratio of ships on the contacts of speculative surveys will be 20 to 15. 
Since seismic exploration usually precedes drilling, a certain seismic reserve has been created that has not yet been implemented in most companies. Therefore, seismic activity decreased in relative volumes even more than prospecting and exploration
drilling.
Financial health of major competing offshore seismic companies
It is clear that today the financial condition of all offshore geophysical companies, without exception, is difficult, some of which are critical. This is indirectly evidenced by their stock prices, most of which fell significantly more than the price of oil.
The exchange rate dynamics of shares of geophysical companies is interesting. So, in one year, from April 2015 to April 2016, the price of Brent crude oil fell by 31%. During the same period, shares of the world's major leaders in marine geophysics fell significantly more: PGS - by 45%, Polarcus - by 72%, CGG - by 77%, EMGS - by 89%. The well-known Western Geco company is absent from this list, since it does not list its shares on the market, but is a subsidiary of Shlumberger. But Iona has reduced the number of its vessels from 16 to 5. PGS is still holding out better than others, despite the fact that it recently received the state-of-the-art 24-seismic survey, which we mentioned above. But she managed to restructure payments for the latest new ships, and her fleet is by far the most numerous and modern. It remains to wait for at least a slight rise in the market. 
Subsequently, FUGRO sold its offshore geophysical business to CGG, Dolfin virtually went bankrupt, and Polarcus has been unpaid for months or is frantically looking for a way to avoid bankruptcy.
Chinese companies BGP and COSL are part of the state holding and their shares are not listed on stock exchanges. Since 2015, they have become the main subcontractors on the Russian shelf. If, ideally, the same policy continues, then Russia will not have its own marine technologies. The current attempts at import substitution under the program of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in their current form will not solve this problem.
The first quarter of 2016 was admittedly the worst in the history of marine seismic exploration, as the graph in Fig. ten.
We did not say anything to the Orossian offshore geophysical companies, since, in fact, they do not have their own technologies, and in most of the tenders won from Rosneft and Gazprom, they act only as intermediaries between the customer and the aforementioned foreign subcontractors performing 3D work in fact. The exception is 2D seismic, which they can and do, but again with imported equipment, some of which are under sanctions.
Dynamics of the volume of offshore seismic works in the world and the expected demand
What are the forecasts for marine seismic surveys in the world and in Russia? If we analyze the global volume of contract sales of marine seismic services, it turns out that now the total revenue is 7 times less than in 2007, and is at the level of 2003-2005. And this despite the fact that the dollar then and now differs by at least two times. If we extrapolate this trend further than 2017, we see nothing good there.
Yes ... After a rather pessimistic picture of the global marine seismic survey, which we analyzed, I would like to be a little optimistic. Iconic consultants from DNB-market give us it, however, not as much as we would like. According to these forecasts, in 2018 the revenue from marine seismic exploration will amount to 3.9 billion dollars against 3.1 in 2016 (Fig. 11). This is also very small, but nevertheless the trend should change. Let's hope for the best.
Customers and contractors of seismic surveys on the Russian shelf
Today, Russian offshore geophysical companies do not have modern 3D seismic technologies, at least in accordance with the seven requirements that were presented in tender documents in 2013-2014. two main customers: Rosneft and Gazprom. Our contractors are only able to perform 2D seismic surveys in-house, which is of subordinate importance in modern conditions. This means that only foreign contractors can perform 3D works that meet the required tender requirements. Meanwhile, the established rules of tender procedures are arranged in such a way that “foreigners” cannot work directly with Gazprom or Rosneft. The reason is that 2 - 3 years ago in these two companies there was a requirement for a contractor to have a license to work with materials constituting a state secret. Naturally, foreign companies cannot obtain such a license in Russia. However, they don’t need it for work, tk. they do not need any classified materials to conduct a marine seismic survey. In order to get out of this paradoxical situation, we had to come up with the simplest intermediary scheme (Fig. 12).
Chinese companies BGP and COSL are part of the state holding and do not list their shares on stock exchanges. Since 2015, they have become the main subcontractors on the Russian shelf. If we continue to pursue the same policy, then our own marine technologies will not appear in Russia.
The top line in this figure shows the main customers of marine seismic exploration, including Gazprom and Rosneft or their subsidiaries and joint ventures with foreign partners. The announced tenders involve Russian contractors (second line in Fig. 12) who hold such a license. They conclude a subcontract agreement with one of the foreign companies (the last line in Fig. 12), while they are already successfully completing the required amount of work and transferring the results to the Russian intermediary, who reports to the main customer. 
In 2015, there were some changes in this scheme. After the imposition of sanctions, some of Rosneft's joint companies with ExxonMobil, Statoil, ENI disappeared from the number of customers. There have been changes in the contractors. Thus, the two largest Russian offshore geophysical companies DMNG and SMNG in February 2015 entered the state holding Rosgeologia (in Fig. 12 it is ROSGEO) and in the future will not be able to compete with each other for such intermediary contracts. Most of the foreign subcontractor companies from the bottom line in Fig. 12 to a significant extent will not be able to work in the previous regime due to the imposed sanctions.
China enters the seismic market
An additional problem is foreign exchange risk, as a result of which foreign subcontractors may find themselves without profit or even loss, as happened recently with one of them. After all, the initial contracts of Gazprom and Rosneft with Russian contractors are concluded in rubles, and payments for the volume of work performed are made in a number of cases a year after the completion of the entire project. Nobody can predict what will be the skourse for this period. Moreover, foreign companies bear the costs of the work, mainly in dollars or euros. As a result of such rapid changes in the Russian market, Chinese companies BGP, COSL and others began to quickly take the place of foreign subcontractors. However, they still lag behind PGS, CGG and WesternGeco in quality and technology. Nevertheless, it is already clear that the Chinese will develop their geophysical industry at a very fast pace, unlike Russia.
In a situation where contract work on orders from oil and gas producers has been reduced to a historical minimum, seismic companies tend to perform more multi-client (speculative) work in order to sell materials to several buyers later.
Be that as it may, the existing intermediary scheme, imposed by internal regulations, leads to a rise in the cost of work. It makes it possible for Russian geophysicists to earn a little on intermediary operations, but does not contribute to the development of domestic geophysics, which came in the fall of the 90s. and since then it has not recovered from the crisis, but on the contrary - continues the path to degradation. Here we need completely different support measures than artificial coercion of foreign companies into intermediary schemes. Moreover, this additional link can potentially contribute to the development of corruption schemes, the fight against which is declared by the state at the highest level.
In 2015, 11,800 km 2 of 3D offshore seismic surveys were carried out, with the previously planned about 21,000 km 2. Their distribution by sea and by customer companies is shown in Fig. 13. 
The main scope of work 2D - 25 180 linear meters. km - was completed in 2015 on the orders of Rosneft. As for PJSC Gazprom, this subsoil user has not ordered them for the last 3 years, focusing only on 3D works specified in the licenses, most of which have also been completed.
It is rather difficult to talk about the needs of offshore seismic surveys on the Russian shelf in the coming years. In fig. 14 shows approximate expectations that were for 2016 in terms of 3D volumes, but they were not fully confirmed due to the postponement of part of the work to the next season, as well as due to limitations in the budgets of companies due to the constant optimization of their investment programs. The plans are, as they say, "typeset on the fly", tenders are announced with a big delay, and the summing up of their results is constantly delayed.
It should not be forgotten that PJSC Gazprom is not so far from completing the fulfillment of its licensing obligations for seismic exploration, while PJSC NK Rosneft has completed a significant part of the priority 3D volumes and, probably, will not rush into the current market situation with the compiled volumes. PJSC "Lukoil" rarely orders volumes of 3D more than 400 km 2 per year, moreover, they have been completed on most of their offshore sections. These factors significantly reduce expectations regarding future growth in 3D volumes. Rather, the opposite is true.
According to the forecasts of our Norwegian neighbors, the volume of marine seismic exploration on the Russian shelf in 2017 will amount to 15,500 km 2 3D (Fig. 15), however, in our opinion, it will be at least half as much.
Crises do not last forever ...
First quarter of 2016 admittedly the worst in marine seismic history
It is clear that in the current crisis conditions, some plans will have to be adjusted. But crises do not last forever, so sooner or later another question will arise on the agenda: what is the technological readiness of Russian and foreign companies to fulfill license obligations on the shelf under new conditions and what needs to be done to increase it?
Although in the 80s. XX century in the Soviet Union, almost all offshore research was carried out on domestic equipment, which by its characteristics at that time fully corresponded to the world level. Moreover, the implementation of a large-scale program for the development of the Arctic at that time led to the fact that by the end of the eighties years in the USSR a fleet of domestic drilling vessels appeared (Shashin, Muravlenko, several jack-up rigs, etc.), which would be capable of the current extensive geological exploration program on the shelf. The then existing seismic vessels, equipped with domestic sources and receivers, not only coped with the 2D seismic survey program, but were even to some extent underloaded with physical volumes. At the end of the season it was necessary to look for additional objects to fulfill the plan for running kilometers. At that time, there was no 3D seismic survey in the water areas, but onshore such work has already gradually developed since the 1970s. in the simplest modifications. In the 90s, 3D work in the world has already begun to be carried out sporadically on the shelf, but in Russia the first pseudo-3D work with two streamers was carried out at the Prirazlomnoye field, excluding work on the small Shtormovoye field in Cherny sea, made in the 80s. one oblique along a very dense system of 2D profiles. But both of these examples are not, in fact, true 3D seismic surveys in the modern sense.
The 3D seismic survey carried out on the Russian shelf today in terms of technological parameters corresponds to the level that was achieved in the world more than 15 years ago.
What do the sanctions threaten, first of all, seismic exploration? For 2D seismic exploration with on-board on-board gravity-magnetic measurements, we have, in principle, more than a dozen of our own vessels in the companies MAGE, SMNG, DMNG (the latter two are now part of Rosgeologia) and others. But all these vessels are equipped with sources of signal excitation and receiving devices (seismic streamers), produced abroad. Many ships are approaching or over 30 years of age. Modern seismic vessels in Russian companies only three, and the number of seismic streamers on them is from 4 to 8, while at most tenders even Russian customers already require at least 12 streamers. In addition, the equipment available on board these vessels does not allow for the so-called. broadband seismic, while abroad this requirement is already becoming standard.
Russian offshore geophysical companies do not have their own technologies, and in most of the tenders won from Rosneft and Gazprom, they act only as intermediaries between the customer and foreign subcontractors performing 3D work after the fact.
Another complicating point is that it is impossible to carry out 3D seismic exploration by specialized vessels in ice conditions, since 300-400 tons of expensive outboard equipment in the form of 12-16 seismic streamers can simply be cut off by ice. Technologies for protecting seismic streamers from ice (and only for 2D works, not for 3D) from an American company ION, which left the Russian market under the sanctions. I must say that the origins of this technology were Russian: even at the beginning of the 90s. we carried out such work in a trial mode under the leadership of A.A. Hagelganese. However, all this was subsequently lost. Therefore, given the current state of affairs in the Eastern Arctic, only 2D production seismic works are possible during a short ice-free period, which in these places lasts no more than one and a half months. 
One of the positive moments of recent times in this regard is the receipt of a patent by the Russian company MAGE for a device for deepening seismic streamers for 2D work in moderate ice conditions.
Pros and cons of building domestic seismic vessels
What are Russian offshore geophysical companies equipped with today? For example, MAGE, which in the past three years has won most of the tenders of Rosneft and Gasprom for offshore seismic exploration. As a student in 1976, I did an internship on the MAGE flagship "Professor Kurentsov", which now, almost 30 years later, remains one of the main production units of this company. The company has two more similar vessels: "Dmitry Nalivkin" and "Nikolay Trubyatchinsky". 
There are also several other Russian companies with comparable characteristics: DMNG, SMNG, partly from Sevmorgeo and Yuzhmorgeologiya, in total about a dozen. Such vessels are absolutely not suitable for 3D seismic surveys. They are not in a state, as, for example, modern special ships PGS, to be towed up to 24 stitches by signal transmitters with a length of 12 km each (Fig. 4). These vessels have already set several world performance records, for example, over 1000 km 2 of 3D seismic exploration. Alas, all the above-mentioned Russian vessels can tow only one single streamer, i.e. work on 2D technology. The performance of MAGE and other Russian contractors on the won 3D tenders was provided, mainly, by foreign contractors in accordance with the intermediary scheme shown in Fig. 12. The most interesting thing is that most of the customer’s employees don’t even know about it, believing that the Russians are able to do everything themselves. It would be nice if it really was, but things are much worse.
In general, Russia does not have modern specialized vessels for conducting 3D seismic surveys. True, there are 3 ships that can tow from 4 to 8 stitches up to 6 km in length, and one of them was taken by a bareboat charter (lease without crew) from the foreign company "Polarcus" 5 years ago and has not yet been redeemed. Moreover, these three vessels often remain “out of the game” on the Russian market, since the tender requirements of Rosneft and Gasprom until 2015 provided for the presence of 10 to 16 braids up to 7.2 km in length. The total volume of winches, compressors and related technology cannot simply be taken and accommodated on a typical ship of a suitable size. 
In addition to special equipment and the special shape of the hull with a wide stern, these vessels must have a low level of acoustic noise when moving in order not to interfere with the operation of ultra-sensitive equipment. And have stability when rolling in order to be able to work with hundreds of tons of outboard equipment in rough seas up to 4 points. The Sovcomflot company had plans to build such vessels abroad, but things have not gone further than plans, and this company is currently operating the same Vyacheslav Tikhonov, the only 6 - 8-boat in Russia, on a bareboat charter (freight without a crew). At the beginning of 2017, Sovcomflot-Geo took on a bareboat charter a second, more modern 16-line vessel from the financially struggling company Polarcus (UAE). But some enthusiasts are still asking the question: “What if you still find money somewhere in the current financial crisis and build several such ships? After all, the vastness of the Arctic shelf and the Far East are limitless, and the work will last for decades. " It would seem that this is so. But there are at least five objections to this in the current specific conditions.
The existing intermediary scheme, imposed by internal regulations, leads to an increase in the cost of work. It makes it possible for Russian geophysicists to earn a little on intermediary operations, but does not contribute to the development of domestic geophysics, which fell into decay in the 90s. and since then has not recovered from the crisis, but on the contrary - continues the path to degradation.
Firstly, the design and construction of ships will take many years, and work needs to be done now. Secondly, in order not to waste time for construction, you can buy ready-made modern seismic vessels in the West, where now, in crisis, more than half of them, even relatively new ones, are out of work and can be sold at half price and on an installment plan. Thirdly, as practice shows, when building current domestic specialized vessels, even at Russian shipyards, most intelligent systems are purchased abroad, including power plants such as Rolls-Royce, etc., which generates income for non-domestic manufacturers. Of the Russian, there are mainly hulls and other metal-intensive structures, this is not the largest component of the cost of intelligent ships. The total costs for the construction of an analogue vessel with deteriorating characteristics will be many times higher. Fourthly, even with a seemingly limitless amount of work, it will be very problematic to actually load these vessels with constant work due to the short Arctic summer. Today it is possible to carry out 3D seismic exploration for up to 4 months in the year in the non-freezing Barents Sea and in some areas of the Sea of Okhotsk. In the Kara Sea, this period is limited to two months, in the eastern seas 
For some years in the Arctic, with strong ice coverage (for example, 2014), they will not be able to be made at all. Only 2D production seismic works are possible during a short ice-free period, which in these places lasts no more than one and a half months. This means that for a significant part of the year, their own ships will be out of work in Russia, and therefore, in order not to receive astronomical losses in their maintenance, they need to find work for them far abroad, where there is no winter at this time. But it will be difficult to compete there with foreign contractors who have divided the market, because the daily maintenance rate for vessels of the reinforced ice class is several times higher than for a conventional seismic vessel.
If you dump to win the price, then you can't get away from the current losses. And, fifthly, no one needs the ship itself without the appropriate high-tech equipment. And here, in 2014, unexpected problems arose due to Western sanctions affecting most of such equipment. That is why now the question arose of the production of our own similar products. In this regard, as positive news for the domestic marine geophysics, it should be noted the start of work on projects funded by MINPROMTORG for the development projects Gelena-filled Spit, Selections, Location, Seismotomography, Seismokosa and other related development projects. Unfortunately, the projected results by the date of completion of the work will not fully correspond to the achieved world level of development of marine technologies, especially in terms of the implementation of broadband seismic. At the same time, this is an indisputable step forward compared to the previous decades of "oblivion" in Russian geophysics.
4D seismic survey - offshore oil and gas production monitoring technology
Today in the world, seismic monitoring of deposits in the process of their operation (4D) is increasingly used. For example, by 2009, 4D seismic surveys were performed at more than 50 offshore fields, and by 2016 this number had almost doubled. The leader in the number of fields where such work was carried out, apparently, is British Petroleum.
There are three options for 4D seismic survey technology in offshore fields: 1) sequential execution of conventional 3D streamer surveys at large intervals; 2) performing regular surveys with bottom cables; 3) installation of the 4C bottom fiber optic system for the entire period of field development.
Unfortunately, in Russia, such studies are so far known only at the Astokhskoye field on the Sakhalin shelf (performed by PGS by order of Sakhalin Energy in the first version of three). Based on the results of periodically conducted 3D seismic surveys, they are trying to track the movement of the oil-water contact and the degree of water cut and the depletion of various parts of the reservoir. In particular, in Fig. 16, after subtracting the results of two successive 3D surveys, the waterflood zone is well developed, which is then mapped in space and serves as the basis for correcting the hydrodynamic model of the developed reservoir.
Our contractors are only able to perform 2D seismic surveys on their own, which in modern conditions is of subordinate importance. This means that only foreign contractors can perform 3D works that meet the required tender requirements.
However, in offshore conditions it is often problematic to exactly repeat the seismic survey with the same excitation and reception conditions. This makes it difficult to correctly compare the data and isolate, against the background of interference, very weak effects associated with the development of the reservoir. In addition, periodic repetition of full-fledged 3D shooting is quite an expensive undertaking.
The most advanced today are special monitoring systems based on fiber optic solutions. 4-component sensors (X, Y, Z - geophones and H - hydrophone) are located at the bottom and can remain there for the entire period of field operation (Fig. 17). The absence of any electrical connections in the underwater part makes the system absolutely reliable and durable, the astable registration conditions allow catching weak signals associated with changes in the offshore area during operation. The collection of information can be carried out on the operational platform. The frequency of shooting in this case is any, because it only requires a small source vessel and the costs are low. There is a positive experience of using these systems, in particular the Optoseis system of the PGS company, in one of the deep-water fields of the Brazilian shelf at a water depth of 1,700 m. Conventional seismic sensors are unsuitable in such conditions.
A more detailed analysis of 4D seismic systems is given in. There are fields in Russia where it is advisable to install a permanent seismic observation system: for example, Prirazlomnoye, im. Korchagin, them. Filanovsky, Kirinskoye, etc. Constantly operating systems monitoring 4D give as an additional bonus the ability to "listen" to the field by registering the so-called. "Seismic emission", which is impossible with conventional towed systems.
To conclude, we would like to note that, unfortunately, none of the above technologies is within the power of Russian service companies, and the main Russian customers, in the case of Gazprom and Rosneft, do not provide for the use of the latest technologies and observation systems in tender terms, relying on the minimum cost of work. ... Taking into account the fact that prospecting, exploration, and then more production drilling on most of the shelf areas will be delayed under the new conditions of sanctions and low prices for oil, it should be understood that at the moment of active development, all these works will have to be carried out anew, since during this time technologies will step far ahead. Therefore, the saying “The miser pays twice” is fully applicable to the situation on the Russian shelf.
The future belongs to new technologies
The 3D seismic surveys carried out today on the Russian shelf in terms of technological parameters correspond to the level that was achieved in the world more than 15 years ago.
The specificity of the Russian shelf, especially the Arctic one, lies in the fact that in many places between the low-lying tundra coast and the transit zone in the depths of the sea from zero to several meters. It is clear that it is impossible to conduct a traditional seismic survey here with towed streamers of many kilometers. Thus, the need to develop modern domestic equipment for bottom seismic exploration with 4-component recording elements is on the agenda. Computer problems remain unresolved. software for processing multicomponent marine seismic data, patent purity and certification of created domestic equipment, etc.
And these are important tasks for new R&D.
Literature
1. Ampilov Yu.P. Seismic survey on the Russian shelf // Offshore. 2015. No. 2 (8). S. 26 - 35.
2. Ampilov Yu.P. Baturin D.G. Newest technologies seismic monitoring 4D in the development of offshore oil and gas fields // Seismic technology. 2013. No. 2. S. 31 - 36.
3. Ampilov Yu.P. New challenges for the Russian oil and gas industry in the context of sanctions and low oil prices // Mineral Resources of Russia. Economics and Management. 2017. No. 2.
1. Ampilov Ju.P. Seismic exploration on the Russian shelf // Offshore. 2015. No. 2 (8). Pp. 26 - 35.
2. Ampilov Ju.P. Baturin D.G. Latest technology 4D seismic monitoring and development of offshore oil and gas fields // Seismic technology. 2013. No. 2. Pp. 31 - 36.
3. Ampilov Ju.P. New challenges for the Russian oil industry in terms of sanctions and low oil prices // Mineral resources of Russia. Economy and management. 2017. No. 2.
the seagoing vessel "Ramform Sterling" is the newest creation of shipbuilders
Before drilling an oil well or producing gas under the water column, it is necessary to locate their deposits and conduct a thorough analysis of the area to determine the quantity and quality of resources. There are several ways of technical exploration of deposits valuable for humanity "black gold" and "blue fuel". One of the exploration methods is a method that is called seismological exploration, the implementation of which is possible thanks to seismological survey vessels . Sea vessels exploration of deposits has become widespread due to the constantly growing demand for minerals. Special sea vessels are operated to collect underwater seismic data that provide a detailed study of the observed area. $ CUT $
Offshore exploration is carried out on an average surface area of 1,500 sq. km. After the analysis has been completed, drilling begins in the area.
Perhaps the most popular underwater exploration ships were sea vessels, developed for the oil drilling and gas industry called " Ramform". These, in addition to the unusual and amazing design, have a lot of effective advantages. The characteristic feature is the minimal noise that the ship emits. This allows you to conduct research with a clearer diagram and closely monitor the movements of the layers of the earth's crust. Wide feed sea vessels seismic survey provides an extremely stable and safe platform on which virtually all geophysical equipment is concentrated. From the back of the case special vessel stretch on average about 10 streamers over a distance of up to 9500 meters. The ship continues to tow them at a certain speed. While driving sea vessel does not make sudden jolts, and due to the design of the hull, the pitching at sea is reduced, which also affects the accuracy of data acquisition. Streamers are released into the water, unwinding from huge winches in a certain sequence, in the sea they must be at a certain distance from each other. There are about 24,000 microphones on streamers. Sea ship registers sound vibrations received from them. The received data is processed on special equipment and displayed on monitors in two-dimensional or three-dimensional image and received the corresponding category 2D and HD3D. This method of offshore exploration and technology makes it possible to confirm the presence of minerals in an oil or gas field.
first generation Ramform type seagoing vessels
this is how field exploration is carried out
towing streamers
Marine company " Petroleum Geo-Services"(" PGS ") is a leader in industrial exploration. During the year, its specialists examine more than 5,000 sq. km mainly in the North Sea off the coast of Norway. Company " PGS»Proud of his six by sea vessels like " Ramform", And besides them has four more classic seismic vessel.
Series of six sea vessels for seismic exploration was built at the shipyards "". They are designed to tow 8 to 20 streamers. On board special sea vessels high-tech equipment was installed for offshore exploration of deposits.
sea vessel "Ramform Explorer"
Seismic vessel "Ramform Explorer" launched in 1995. It became the first in history " Ramform". The seagoing vessel allows towing up to 8 streamers with a thickness of 70 mm each, and provides a survey of an area of up to 1000 square meters. Navigation equipment includes an autopilot, gyrocompass, and radar.
Technical data of the seismic survey vessel "Ramform Explorer":
Length - 82 m;
Width - 39 m;
Draft - 6m;
Displacement - 9874 tons;
Bergen»;
Speed - 12 knots;
Crew - 46 people;
sea vessel "Ramform Challenger"
Then the ship was built " Ramform Chalendger " in 1996. This sea transport allows you to explore 2000 sq. km., which is twice the capabilities of its predecessor. Sea ship It is equipped with two Azipod propellers and can tow up to 16 guy wires up to 4 kilometers long.
Technical data of the seismic survey vessel "Ramform Challenger":
Length - 86 m;
Width - 39.2 m;
Draft - 7.3 m;
Displacement - 9700 tons;
Crew - 60 people;
Speed - 14 knots;
sea-going vessels of the type " Ramform Valiant "second generation
Triangular shape sea vessel « Ramform valiant» people saw in 1998. This outstanding ship has set the world record for sea surface exploration, which has not yet been broken. In 1998 in one day sea vessel seismic exploration " Ramform Valiant " received data from 111 sq. kilometers.
sea vessel "Ramform Victory"
Ramform Viking at the pier
In 1998, it was launched sea vessel« Ramform Viking ". In 1999 - " Ramform Victory". These are absolutely identical ships in terms of size and capabilities. Each of them allows towing up to 16 streamers, and the received processed data appears on the screens in HD3D format. Intelligence sea vessels constantly work in all weather conditions Northern regions where there are large accumulations of oil and gas. In one day, research is carried out on 72 sq. km of sea surface.
exploration vessel "Ramform Sovereign"
The latest in a series of first and second generation reconnaissance sea vessels became " Ramform Sovereign". Company " PGS»Received the ship in 2005. Equipment of the company " Kongsberg».
aft part of the sea vessel "RAMFORM"
Technical data of the seismic survey vessel "Ramform Sovereign":
Length - 102 m;
Width - 40 m;
Draft - 7.3 m;
Displacement - 15086 tons;
Marine power plant - diesel engine " Bergen»;
Speed - 16 knots;
Crew - 70 people;
sea-going vessels of the "RAMFORM VANGUARD" type of the third generation
In the same year, the company “ Petroleum Geo-Services»Announced the construction of the third generation sea vessels... They have a completely different class of technical equipment. Sea ship« Ramform Vangourd”Was launched in 2008. All the same V-shaped hull remained, as it provides stability to the ship. Sea ship received 22 guy wires and other state-of-the-art equipment for field exploration. The transport is driven by three Azipod engines, each with a capacity of 3808 hp. s., besides this, there is a small power plant on board the ship, which generates 11 MW and does not need frequent maintenance. This electricity is sufficient to operate all reconnaissance equipment, as well as an electric motor, deck crane, winches and ship lighting.
The motor is assisted by a dynamic positioning system. On board the vessel there is a probe, an echo sounder, a gyrocompass and a radar station operating in various ranges, several types of antennas, satellite connection « Inmarsat». Sea ship fully automated, providing a great opportunity for engineers to work. Significantly reduced noise, which made it possible to increase the accuracy of the data obtained and become a leader in the competition.
exploration vessel "Ramform Viking"
Technical data of the seismic survey vessel "Ramform Vangourd":
Length - 102 m;
Width - 40 m;
Draft - 7.4 m;
Displacement - 16,000 tons;
Marine power plant - diesel-electric engine "" with a capacity of 29920 liters. with.;
Crew - 70 people;
Developing offshore geophysical company " Polarcus"Decided to build two reconnaissance sea vessels like " SX133". These sea vessels will be equipped with a full set of equipment for seismic exploration. Their construction is due to be completed in the third quarter of 2009 at the Dubai shipyard.
On sea vessels a new data processing algorithm using HD4D technology is used. This analysis program is based on “ Microsoft Windows"And is intended for editing, correcting, analyzing and providing images of exploration data used by geologists, engineers involved in the evaluation and development of petroleum and gas fields... Substantial upgrades will be undertaken to improve the performance of the marine equipment. The sea vessel will become a key one in the implementation of the company's strategic program “ PGS».
Oil company clients demand accurate imaging and production studies. The HD3D strategy meets these requirements. Data processing speed will increase by 8 times. More streamers are needed for this method to be effective. Third generation sea vessels has that capability in its arsenal. are an important step in the context of the renewal of seismic vessels. In this area, they cannot boast of sufficient funding for recent years... Therefore, engineers are forced to use what is already there and carry out modernization. The PGS company assures that sea vessels will be the largest and most expensive in seismic history. The vessel will tow up to 26 streamers on an area of 95,000 sq. m.
Revolutionary platform « Ramform» is one example of how an innovative idea became a necessity in the oil and gas industry. Seismological allow to directly increase the production of "black gold" and "blue fuel" up to 60 percent, as well as improve the production of oil and gas from already developed fields.
Then of course you notice a huge difference compared to merchant marine... The difference is both in the salary and the duration of the contracts, and in the work. Often these are 6 watches every 6 hours. It's hard for someone, someone is no stranger to it. But almost everyone agrees that it's worth it. From myself, I can say that you are getting tired. After all, there are duties that are done outside the watch.
The offshore vessels that I currently work with are called seismic (or scientists).
What is seismic? These are ships that are busy collecting all kinds of information at sea. For example, by collecting information about the presence of oil or gas deposits in a certain area. These ships pull cables that can be up to 7 miles long. It is difficult to say how many of these cables a ship can pull at the same time, but there are already ships with 14 cables. This is an expensive equipment that is etched in a special way so that the cables do not become entangled.
The main part of the cable is under water, so it is difficult to say that there is anything dragging behind the seismic. The only thing that indicates the length of the cable is the tail buoy. But you must admit that at a distance of 7 miles, who knows what is blinking there. Therefore, you have to keep track of all the ships.
A seismic vessel usually does not work alone, but in a convoy. Those. there are other offshore vessels that are only engaged in ensuring the safety and security of seismic. The task of such vessels is to comply with seismic instructions. They usually go ahead, make sure that there are no nets or some kind of floating objects on the path of the seismic. They also drive away fishermen and warn other vessels about seismic operations in the area. Additionally, they can change the crew, transfer food or supplies.
Those. if you are walking on a merchant ship and everything is calm, you do not bother anyone, and someone is a covenant of you for 18-20 miles. Know that they are like this offshore vessels and, most likely, seismic operations are taking place in the area. So, for sure you received Navarea, which indicates the boundaries of the area and all the details. In any case, you will be reminded and asked not to approach the seismic and cables closer than three miles, as large vessels create noise and this interferes with the reading of information.
From myself, I can say that I am pleased that I got offshore. Offshore vessels are different. It's not harder to work there, it's not easier. The work is completely different compared to the merchant marine. But the work is interesting. Everyone understands that big money doesn't just pay. Getting offshore is not easy. You need to be a good specialist and have luck. I wish that you are always lucky, wherever you are.
- a specialized vessel designed for laying underwater pipelines. At present, pipelayers are widely used in the development of offshore oil and gas fields for laying pipelines with a diameter of up to 1220 mm at depths of up to 130 m. Pipelayers have been designed for depths of up to 600 m. The pipe-layer body has a simplified shape. Sometimes barges or other types of vessels are converted into pipelayers. Catamaran-type hulls or with stabilizing columns are promising, especially for operation in areas with severe weather conditions. The technology of laying an underwater pipeline from a pipelayer consists in building it up by successive welding of pipe sections located on the deck. At shallow depths, a curved descent device is used to move the pipeline from the deck to the seabed, along which the expandable pipeline is moved from the stern of the vessel to the bottom as new pipe sections are welded. With increasing sea depth, an additional articulated support-stringer is installed at the stern of the vessel to support the pipeline during downward movement and prevent large bends when leaving the vessel. For this, the ship has a tensioner. Another method of laying pipelines is drum. In this case, the pipelayer is equipped with a reel on which a steel flexible pipe produced onshore is wound.
