Fugro Surveys Petronas Acreage

Dutch multinational geo-data specialist Fugro has completed the second of three Malaysian seep hunting and geochemical campaigns for Malaysian oil and gas company ‘Petronas’.

According to the provider of geotechnical, survey, subsea, and geoscience services, the first campaign was conducted offshore Sabah, Malaysia, and took place between December 2018 and March 2019, using 2012 built Fugro Equator, which acquired geophysical data including multibeam echo sounder (MBES) and sub-bottom profiler (SBP) data used to interpret geologic features and optimize target selection for geochemical sampling.

The second campaign was located offshore Sarawak, Malaysia and began 8 May 2019 onboard the Fugro Equator.

Acquired geophysical data included over 15 000 km2 of multibeam echosounder (MBES) data providing bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and water column information. More than 40 discreet water column anomalies, potential locations of active hydrocarbon seepage, were identified.

Using the MBES data in combination with over 3600 line-km of sub-bottom profiler data, Fugro and Petronas’ geoscientists identified 350 locations for coring and geochemical analysis.

The Fugro Equinox mobilized on 29 May 2019 to target these locations: over the course of two months, 275 piston cores were acquired and more than 1600 near-real-time geochemical analyses – including headspace gas, total scanning fluorescence and extracted hydrocarbon gas chromatography (C15+) – were conducted.

This targeted approach identifies precise seep locations quickly and accurately, which avoids unnecessary sampling locations and streamlines acquisition for clients such as Petronas.

The third seep hunting and geochemical campaign for PETRONAS will begin in Q3 2019 and will take place offshore Peninsular Malaysia in the Straits of Malacca. The first campaign was conducted offshore Sabah, Malaysia, and took place between December 2018 and March 2019.