The 3D survey is set to start in December 2025.

Shearwater Geoservices has partnered with Harvex Geosolutions and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to begin fresh multi-client seismic project offshore Nigeria

Supported by strong industry funding, the 3D survey is set to start in December 2025. Shearwater is gearing up to deploy its high-end vessel SW Duchess for the project, whereby it will be operational over a period of two months. It will heavily support survey work for extracting high-resolution subsurface data across the Western Niger Delta Basin which, in turn, will influence significant exploration decisions and future license rounds in one of West Africa’s most prospective oil and gas regions.

“This project underscores the growing momentum of our multi-client business and our key role in supporting exploration across key global basins,” said Irene Waage Basili, CEO of Shearwater. “By investing in high-quality seismic data, where we can both capture rapid returns and create longer-term value, we are enabling smarter decisions and helping to shape the future of energy security in West Africa and beyond.” 

Previously, Shearwater also announced service contract offshore Ghana, carrying out the region's first deepwater Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) seismic survey in the Jubilee and TEN fields. This contract was a result of the company's already well-established presence in West African regions, including the deployment of the SW Tasman vessel and Pearl node OBN platform. Since late 2024, these platforms have been instrumental in conducting OBN surveys across the region, starting with Côte d'Ivoire, and continuing with surveys in Angola.

The 4,300 sq km high-end data set will bring valuable insights. (Image source: Viridien)

As Angola gears up for its upcoming licensing round, Viridien has announced a new multi-client seismic reimaging programme over Angola’s highly prospective offshore Block 22

The 4,300 sq km high-end data set will bring valuable insight into underexplored structures along the Atlantic Hinge zone, following the same trend as the proven Cameia and Golfinho fields. Fast-track results are scheduled for delivery in Q1 2026 and final products in Q3/Q4 2026.

The Block 22 data set will be reimaged by using Viridien's latest proven proprietary technologies, including time-lag FWI, Q-FWI, Q-Kirchhoff and advanced deghosting and demultiple. This data will complement its 2,900 sq km of data over nearby block 20/11, giving operators access to a combined regional coverage of over 7,200 sq km of ultramodern broadband PSDM data to conduct regional pre-salt and post-salt play evaluation in the Kwanza Basin.

Dechun Lin, Head of Earth Data, Viridien, said, “Viridien is delighted to continue its strong relationship with Angola's national energy agency, ANPG (Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás e Biocombustíveis), and longstanding presence in Angola by committing to this new reimaging project which will support their important upcoming licensing round. We have the most modern 3D broadband seismic data available offshore Angola and will continue to generate value from it to provide critical support for industry decision-making and help to increase exploration success.”

TGS work is backed by modern seismic and aeromagnetic library. (Image source: TGS)

Energy intelligence firm, TGS, has extended its agreement with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MOPMR) to the continued rights to market and license geophysical data covering Somalia’s offshore basins

The agreement will support TGS' vision to aid the progress of underexplored regions with its comprehensive regional data library for the evaluation of significant exploration potential. The company assures operators of the reliability of its datasets in assessing investment opportunities across numerous available offshore blocks.

In Somalia, TGS is exclusively offering valuable insights into more than 46,000-line kms of modern 2D seismic data and beyond 50,000 kms of aeromagnetic data. The data reflecting the region's geological framework and prospectivity is backed by the company's cutting-edge acquisition technology and advanced imaging solutions.

“This extension further underscores our long-term commitment to the Federal Republic of Somalia and its offshore licensing programme,” said David Hajovsky, executive vice president multi-client at TGS. “With access to our exclusive, modern seismic and aeromagnetic library we are ready to support the Ministry of Petroleum & Mineral Resources as they open up one of the world’s last frontier hydrocarbon provinces.”

BW Energy has drilled the Kharas-1 appraisal well.

BW Energy has drilled the Kharas-1 appraisal well in the Kudu license area, offshore Namibia, at a total depth of 5,100 m and intersected multiple reservoir intervals

With drilling completed, the well will now be plugged and abandoned in line with the planned programme.

The well has revealed multiple shallow turbidite reservoirs with dry-gas shows, and reservoir properties from these and the acquired whole core are now being evaluated.

Hydrocarbons were encountered in deep inside a fractured volcaniclastic reservoir, pointing to a working petroleum system with condensate and/or light oil. Further analysis is ongoing to determine the extent
of the system and to characterise reservoir properties and appraisal options.

"Kharas-1 achieved its technical objective of testing multiple targets within a single penetration and delivered valuable geological, geochemical and petrophysical data. The results also confirm, for the first time, the presence of liquid hydrocarbons within the Kudu block and contribute to our understanding of the broader petroleum system. The reservoir complexity necessitates further appraisal to assess its potential. Our forward programme will focus on further high value targets based on the presence of liquid hydrocarbons, as well as gas and the learnings from Kharas-1A," said CEO Carl Arnet.