“In the past, we as a provider of OBN and streamer technology would mostly liaise with seismic acquisition companies; our exposure to oil companies was very limited,” says Gaetan Mellier, Vice President Marine Segment at Sercel. “This business model is evolving. The push for new technology is now coming more directly from operators, which means that we must also communicate directly with end users. In addition, operators want to monitor seismic acquisition projects more closely these days and in real-time.”

For that reason, Sercel has recently launched a new data-driven collaboration solution called MetaBlue™. Sercel is a key player in providing software, technology, and services to support companies in the seismic acquisition process. ‘The essence of MetaBlue is to connect with the end user, understand the key pain points, and propose the best solution to meet project goals’, says Gaetan.

Optimal use of sensors

The platform will not only facilitate communication between all project stakeholders. It will also ensure the optimal use of technology. For example, the use of MEMS sensors in a rapidly evolving Ocean Bottom Node technology is an enabler to optimise the quality of the acquisition. Gaetan adds: “Being able to communicate that to the end-client directly is a great benefit to us and is an enabler for real-time adjustments to ensure successful results.”

..it is especially in the OBN domain that we see sustained growth over the past couple of years.

Don’t forget the source

It’s not only the nodes themselves; it is also the source for the seismic signal that needs attention”, emphasizes Gaetan. “It is easy to forget that a good source is of key importance to acquiring high quality data. We have seen that in some cases, airguns designed for streamer data were used for OBN acquisition, which is wrong. Therefore, we have made a significant investment in the design of the OBN source in addition to our capabilities in node technology. And again, being able to integrate all this into MetaBlue will be an asset for any user of our equipment.”

Partnerships

A final element where the new platform comes in is the changing way new technology is being developed. “We used to work on new things in a fairly solitary way, but now we try to form partnerships with companies to come up with technology that suits a specific business need. For example, we worked with Shell on developing a low-frequency source for complex exploration targets called TPS™.  Thus, another essential aspect of MetaBlue is to serve as an avenue for creating partnerships that address a direct customer need and subsequently benefit other end users.”

Confidence in a volatile market

“The market is still volatile”, admits Gaetan, “but it is especially in the OBN domain that we see sustained growth over the past couple of years. It is also reflected in the fact that we have invested in the development of nodes capable of withstanding water depths of 700 m to 3,000 m, where the focus initially was on shallow water. At the same time, streamer data is certainly not over yet, as it remains the most cost-effective way to explore larger areas.”