TGS and Viridien finish survey over BP’s Gulf of America field

September 19, 2025, by Nadja Skopljak

Norwegian energy data and intelligence company TGS and French geophysical services company Viridien, formerly CGG, have completed the acquisition of an ultra-long offset ocean bottom node (OBN) survey in the Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico).

The Laconia Phase III ultra-long offset OBN survey includes coverage of the 100% BP-owned Kaskida field, discovered in 2006, and was acquired by a TGS deepwater OBN crew using TGS’ ZXPLR nodes and Sercel’s Tuned Pulse Source (TPS).

According to Viridien, BP last year approved the development of its sixth operated hub over Kaskida, demonstrating the potential in this area, which also includes over a hundred blocks of unlicensed acreage covered by this phase of the project.

This latest phase spans 151 OCS blocks and expands ultra-long offset low-frequency OBN coverage of the Paleogene trend to provide improved seismic data and subsurface imaging over the area, deemed as geologically complex.

The data set will be imaged using Viridien’s elastic full-waveform inversion (E-FWI) to improve subsalt structural clarity and support further exploration in central Keathley Canyon.

Early-out products will be available at the end of October in time for the offshore lease sale scheduled in December. Final products will be delivered in early Q1 2027.

“Together with TGS, we are acquiring high-quality OBN data and applying our most advanced imaging to give operators the clearest view of these promising yet complex subsalt plays,” said Dechun Lin, EVP, Earth Data at Viridien.

“This collaboration continues to raise the bar for subsalt images, helping the industry unlock new opportunities in the Paleogene trend with greater confidence. Phase III of the Laconia program represents an important step forward for exploration in Keathley Canyon.”

The joint venture partners also recently began a 5,300 square kilometers multi-client 3D seismic survey offshore Brazil.

Furthermore, TGS yesterday, September 18, announced the PAMA Phase II 3D multi-client survey in the Equatorial Margin area offshore Brazil. The first phase covered 19,343 square kilometers and over 25 future exploration blocks within the Pará-Maranhao Basin, one of the world’s largest, most unexplored, and highly prospective basins, as the company stated.

The survey extends coverage by approximately 11,500 square kilometers, including blocks currently under nomination for upcoming license rounds scheduled for 2026 and 2027. A Ramform Titan-class vessel commenced data acquisition in early June and is expected to complete the survey in early March 2026.

“We experienced strong industry interest and support for our PAMA Phase I survey, as the Equatorial Margin represents one of the most exciting exploration frontiers globally,” said Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS.

“With PAMA Phase II, we are expanding our data coverage significantly, and by leveraging our advanced acquisition capabilities and imaging expertise, this survey will provide substantial value for our clients’ exploration activities in the Parã-Maranhao Basin. With the ongoing Megabar extension multi-client project in the Barreirinhas Basin we will have two Ramform Titan-class vessels active in the Equatorial Margin through the remainder of 2025.”