The Next Level of Automation for Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) Operations

Ocean bottom node (OBN) seismic is the imaging technology of choice for oil companies focused on near field exploration survey projects and on maximizing output from their existing reservoirs. Despite its key role in the global marine seismic survey market and the indisputable value of the data which it produces, the technology continues to present challenges in terms of return on investment, due to concerns over cost, efficiency and turnaround times. Arguably, more widespread adoption has been held back as a result. A new collaborative approach, inspired by the emerging development of robotic (uncrewed and lean-crewed) ships for the marine industry coupled with remote quality control and automated node management can provide significant improvement to OBN seismic operations performance. It introduces previously unattainable levels of automation offering a step change in cost and efficiency (especially speed of acquisition), data quality, reduced HSE exposure and reduced carbon footprint to make seabed seismic a more accessible option for oil companies.