PGS reprocessing offshore Nigeria 3D seismic data

Jan. 7, 2022
This will be the cornerstone of a new regional-scale MegaSurveyPlus dataset for Nigeria.

Offshore staff

OSLO, Norway ā€“ PGS has added 10,700 sq km (4,131 sq mi) of 3D multi-client data to its coverage of the Niger Delta, kick-starting a major reprocessing project. This will be the cornerstone of a new regional-scale MegaSurveyPlus dataset for Nigeria.

Final data is expected to be ready in 4Q 2022.

Joshua May, business development manager for Africa at PGS, said: ā€œModern processing and imaging techniques, including optimized denoising algorithms and a full deghosting sequence, will improve data bandwidth and signal-to-noise ratio, and the application of a multiple attenuation process will enable enhanced image integrity by eliminating complex multiples.ā€

The Nigeria MegaSurveyPlus covers two main structural provinces directly linked to the gravity-driven movement of the Akata Shale Formation. The eastern part of the dataset is in the transitional detachment fold zone and contains subtle faulting along with low wavelength folding of Eocene to Quaternary stratigraphy. The western part, situated in the outer fold and thrust belt, is dominated by closely spaced thrust faults.

According to PGS, the Niger Delta basin formed during the Late Cretaceous and contains up to 12 km (7.5 mi) of Late Cretaceous to Quaternary aged clastics deposited in an upward-coarsening regressive deltaic sequence. The main source rocks are Akata Formation marine shales and Lower Agbada Formation paralic shales.

Proven reservoirs in the basin are found in unconsolidated sandstones of the Agbada Formation deposited as stacked turbidite channel and fan complexes. The largest accumulations are trapped in roll-over anticlines in the hanging walls of growth faults, however, hydrocarbons may also be found in fault closures and subtle stratigraphic traps.

Reprocessing to enhance imaging of targets will improve the illumination of complex structures associated with the diapiric movement of the Akata Shale Formation, the company said.

01/07/2022