Seabird’s Hugin Explorer, meant to acquire 4D (Timelapse Three Dimensional) seismic data on the deepwater Agbami field off Nigeria, hadn’t started work as of mid October 2009, because the contract papers hadn’t been finalized. But officials of the state hydrocarbon company NNPC have explained why the Agbami 4D data acquisition will be the most expensive deepwater seismic data gathering on a single field in the country. “Difficulty in reservoir characterization in the Agbami field made operator Chevron opt for a seismic acquisition technology that lays emphasis on capture of as much data as possible”, the NNPC officials indicate.
“The nodal analysis type of acquisition is far more expensive than conventional data acquisition used for Time lapse 3D seismic (or 4D) on similar Nigerian deepwater fields. including Bonga”, the country’s flagship deepwater pool. “But Chevron wanted to use this acquisition to get a new set of baseline parameters to which future time lapse 3D will be referenced”. Agbami field development was slowed down considerably by poor understanding of the reservoir, even as the field’s first oil date loomed. The shoot will take six to eight months to complete and will cover about 586 sq km of area.
