We are excited to be announcing a major product upgrade being readied for implementation in H1 2019 which will give our Venator node-based seabed seismic solution a strong competitive advantage over current node-on-a-rope (NOAR) systems.

Highlight of the changes, based on the company’s continuing R&D programme, will be Venator’s ability to safely deploy and retrieve nodes at speeds of more than 9 knots. Along with numerous other improvements, this will further solidify Venator’s technology as by far the most cost-effective seabed acquisition system on the market today.

Based on experience from our successful sea-trials with our customers and oil companies in the Caspian and North Seas we have now developed the launch and retrieval system to work even better at high vessel speeds. Operating at 9 knots or more is possible, a major enhancement from Venator’s already proven 6 knots. We have also worked to make the system more compact and robust.

Below we list the details of the many significant advances in the system’s node, automation and data management capabilities available in H1 2019, all of which are designed to make Venator the technology choice for seabed seismic acquisition going forward.

Venator: The upgrades

Node and battery
− The A3000 node can now be delivered with a low cost OCXO clock with no reduction in battery life between charging. inApril’s solution for improved clock accuracy improves the sampling accuracy by a factor of up to ten times.
− An improved built-in battery management module gives the operator superior control of batteries and charging.
− The new release can transmit a node status to a surface vessel via the built-in transponder.

Automation
− A new control system manages the rope speed for constant seabed tension during deployment and retrieval.
− Ability for simultaneous retrieval of two receiver lines for increased retrieval efficiency
− A new and more efficient node washer
− Simplified and faster node storage. Data download, battery charging and clock management are parallel processes in inApril’s storage solution.

Data Management
− Fully scalable. More nodes just require more of the same hardware (same software)
− Enhanced QC

Contact us for more details.

As reported by DNB  and published on Bloomberg chat June 7.

“TGS CEO Kristian Johansen held an industry talk/webcast this afternoon. One of the focus points was on new technology and he spent a considerable time on the node/ocean bottom seismic development. TGS see a trend of new ocean bottom seismic companies emerging with lower cost solutions and they expect that this will continue going forward to a more competitive level versus traditional streamer surveys. On numerous occasions the CEO commented that the ocean bottom development is something they follow very closely, to a level where they are already working with some of the leading players and that this could be the future of the seismic industry. According to TGS, ocean bottom should be the highest growth area going forward and oil companies have a higher appetite for this survey method now. Ocean bottom surveys are still more expensive compared to traditional towed streamer surveys, however, the data quality is significantly better. This development is getting increasing attention in the industry, and could be a risk for both traditional vessel owners but also the value of existing conventional 3D multi-client libraries.”