Shell, Total buy MACH data set

BMT ARGOSS Ltd, the Met Office and Oceanweather Inc., have announced the launch of their joint Mid-Atlantic Current Hindcast (MACH) data set, resulting in two data sales to Shell International Petroleum Company Limited and Total S.A. 

The Met Office deals with data assimilation and large scale, complex ocean circulation modelling.

The MACH team have worked with oil and gas operators to provide a current data set over the West Africa region.

According to BMT, the MACH data set provides information on the long-term variability of currents over a 20-year period and has been validated against measured data throughout the region. The initial focus has been to provide a 20-year fine resolution data set for the West Africa oil and gas concession region.

Valérie Quiniou-Ramus, Head of TEC/GEO & Metocean Specialist at Total commented: “Total is interested in MACH to provide a comprehensive database, useful for developing design criteria for offshore structures, as well as for environmental impact assessment studies. As MACH has been developed in a collaborative way by pooling together Operators’ current measurements for better validation, and with the expertise of the Met Office and BMT ARGOSS, we trust that it will be a reliable tool.“

The MACH data set will be used to better understand the ocean conditions within a potential development site or to gain advanced knowledge of the conditions prior to exploration drilling, the press release explains. Furthermore, vertical profiles of current speed and direction are critical inputs to riser engineering and deep-water developments offshore, whilst near-surface current spatial information may provide valuable input to oil spill contingency planning and support FPSO and vessel operations.

With this phase of the modelling complete, the team is now looking to expand the fine resolution modelling to other parts of the mid-Atlantic basin, including Brazil.

Robin Stephens from the MACH team commented: “The MACH data set for West Africa is now available commercially and we are hoping that access to this data set will allow closer engagement with oil and gas operators, contractors and engineering consultants to help them understand the conditions in one of the key hydrocarbon basins in the Mid-Atlantic region.  We are looking forward to collaborating further with oil and gas operators to understand other regions, including Brazil. This collaborative approach to understanding industry requirements with joint resources and experience has been of great benefit to all parties and forms the basis for future projects.”