Viridien, Aker BP forge OBN seismic pact to advance exploration in Norwegian waters

June 9, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

France-based geophysical services company Viridien, formerly known as CGG, has joined forces with Norway’s oil and gas player Aker BP to bolster hydrocarbon search by enhancing multi-client ocean bottom node (OBN) seismic data acquisition, imaging, and technology development on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

Viridien and Aker BP have entered into a strategic partnership agreement to strengthen collaboration across multi-client OBN seismic and geoscience workflows for exploration on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, with the aim of accelerating the discovery and development of additional reserves.

This agreement establishes a five-year co-operation framework designed to align strategy and bring consistent effort to innovation and technology development, intending to optimize exploration efforts off the coast of Norway.

Petter Sørhaug, Exploration & Reservoir Development at Aker BP, commented: “Our strategic partnership with Viridien supports Aker BP’s ambition to deliver profitable and sustainable growth on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. We have built a close and constructive collaboration with Viridien over time. This agreement is a natural extension of our cooperation, and it also follows Aker BP’s strategy to transform exploration and production through selected strategic partnerships.

“Aker BP sees ocean bottom node seismic as a key enabler for improved imaging and higher-quality subsurface data, both in exploration and field development. Together with Viridien we will further strengthen our capabilities in seismic acquisition, imaging, and processing to unlock greater value from our portfolio.”

The partnership, which combines the Norwegian player’s operational experience with the French firm’s imaging technology and expertise, also expands the latter’s multi-client OBN coverage to support large-scale exploration.

Dechun Lin, Head of Earth Data, Viridien, underlined: “This multi-year agreement reflects Viridien’s strategy for long-term collaboration and investment in the NCS.

“Our expertise in seismic imaging and local knowledge has played a significant role de-risking near-field exploration and enabling recent discoveries. We look forward to continuing working with Aker BP to develop technologies that will enhance the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and value of OBN.”

The collaboration with Aker BP comes shortly after Viridien embarked on a multi-client ocean bottom node survey in the Central North Sea, covering both the UK and Norwegian sectors.