VIDEO : Installation of Permanent Monitoring System at Snorre Field Begins

From 20 June to 20 October, a seismic streamer will be installed on the Snorre field in the North Sea. Trawling activity in the area should be avoided during this period.
During the period when the streamer is lying exposed on the seabed, before it is covered, it is extremely vulnerable to any type of external influence.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorat has urged relevant parties to avoid trawling activity in the area during this specific period. Guard vessels will be present. The relevant area lies within 61°31´N – 61°26´north and 2°17´E – 2°4´east.

Permanent reservoir monitoring (PRM) is a project wherein streamers are permanently laid on the seabed so as to provide better and more frequent seismic imagery of changes in the reservoir. The streamer is used to obtain more knowledge about the reservoir, thus facilitating the possibility of recovering more oil.

Installation of the PRM system entails the laying of approximately 250 km of streamers on the seabed, before the cable is buried or covered with rock, so that it is trawlable. The streamer will be laid by the Maersk Responder vessel, and the trenching operation will be run from Northern Wave.

The Snorre field is operated by Statoil and is located in blocks 34/4 and 34/7 in the North Sea, northeast of Gullfaks and southwest of Knarr. Water depth in the area is around 300 metres.