The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has awarded contracts worth AED 5.88bn ($1.6bn) for the world's largest continuous 3D onshore and offshore seismic survey, covering an area up to 53,000 square kilometers.

The contracts were awarded as the company continues to identify and unlock new opportunities and maximize value from its hydrocarbon resources and deliver on its 2030 smart growth strategy, ADNOC said on Thursday.

The agreement was signed on the eve of a State Visit to the UAE by China's President Xi Jinping, by Abdulmunim Al Kindy, ADNOC's Upstream Director, and Gou Liang, President of BGP. The signing was witnessed by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO, and Wang Yilin, Chairman of CNPC.



'World's largest continuous 3D seismic survey'


Adding to the 2D and 3D seismic data already acquired across Abu Dhabi, the new seismic survey will cover an area of up to 30,000 km2 offshore and 23,000 km2 onshore. The contract has been awarded by ADNOC to BGP Inc., a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Company (CNPC), who are represented in the UAE by Al Masaood Oil Industry Supplies & Services Co.

Dr. Al Jaber said: “The announcement of the world's largest continuous 3D seismic survey, and, with it, the deployment of cutting-edge exploration technologies is an important step in realizing the full potential of Abu Dhabi's conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources as we deliver on our 2030 smart growth strategy.

“The scale of the project shows ADNOC's commitment to upstream investment and to bolstering our oil and gas reserves and production for the long-term. The award, following a highly competitive bid process, also represents another key milestone in ADNOC's thriving partnership with CNPC, and the UAE's strategic energy partnership with China.”

According to ADNOC, the acquisition will capture high resolution three-dimensional images of the complex subsurface structure, up to 25,000 feet below the surface.

Wang Yilin said: “We are delighted to be awarded this hugely important contract to conduct the world's largest onshore and offshore seismic survey. ADNOC has embarked on an ambitious project to explore and unlock hydrocarbon reserves and BGP is best placed to bring industry leading technology to Abu Dhabi to support this program.”

Completion by 2024

Using seismic streaming vessels and ocean bottom nodes to acquire data in Abu Dhabi waters, and vibrator trucks to survey the onshore desert areas, the survey is scheduled to be completed by 2024.

ADNOC recently announced Abu Dhabi's first ever block licensing strategy with the launch of six geographical oil and gas blocks open for bidding, and the seismic project will include areas within these blocks with the data made available at a fee to the successful bidders.

Using the resources of ADNOC's Thamama Subsurface Collaboration Centre, the seismic data, from the survey results, will be interpreted by geoscientists and used to characterize and model potential hydrocarbon reservoirs, helping ADNOC identify untapped reservoirs and identify future oil and gas development and production opportunities in the most efficient way possible.

The UAE is one of the world's largest oil and gas producers, with about 96% of its reserves within the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Located in one of the world's largest hydrocarbon super-basins, there remains undiscovered and undeveloped potential in the numerous stacked reservoirs.

CNPC is one of ADNOC's largest international partners, with 40-year stakes in Abu Dhabi's major onshore and offshore concessions. It is also a 40% joint venture partner in Al Yasat Petroleum.