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BP Plans Beaufort Sea seismic survey Shallow-water 3-D survey offshore Milne Point this summer will provide new data for improved oilfield reservoir management Alan Bailey Petroleum News
BP plans to carry out a 3-D seismic survey this summer in the shallow waters of the Beaufort Sea, in the Simpson Lagoon area mainly between Oliktok Point and Milne Point, BP spokesman Steve Rinehart confirmed on March 27. The survey, which will cover an area of about 110 square miles extending from the shoreline out beyond the barrier islands along the coast, is being designed to provide new information about the reservoir of BP’s Milne Point field.
“We hope to augment existing data with new 3-D,” Rinehart said. “We want to get a clear look and a better understanding of the reservoir to inform the development options and opportunities in the Milne field.”
Bill Streever, environmental studies leader for BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., talked about the survey during the National Marine Fisheries Service’s annual Arctic Open Water Meeting on March 7.
Avoiding whales Operating within the terms of a conflict avoidance agreement with North Slope subsistence whalers, the plan is to work both inside and outside the barrier islands, starting as soon as possible after July 1, once the sea ice has retreated from the area, Streever said. Work outside the islands will end about Aug. 25, the time at which migrating bowhead whales normally appear in the area, he said. Work inside the barrier islands will probably continue until mid-October.
“We planned it this way so we can acquire all of our data in one season, with a minimum impact on bowhead migration,” Streever said.
With the water being very shallow in the survey area, BP will lay seismic sound receivers on the seafloor rather than towing them behind a seismic survey vessel, Streever said. And, given the proximity of the shoreline to one edge of the survey area, some wireless recorders will be placed on land. Electrical cable, laid on the seafloor, will connect the offshore receivers to recording equipment on a barge.
Three source vessels BP plans to use two main seismic sound source vessels, with an additional small source vessel for inshore operations, Streever said. The source vessels will tow arrays of airguns which will be fired every four seconds or so to generate the seismic sound signals, the underground echoes of which will be picked up by the receivers.
Lines of receivers will be set out perpendicular to the shore, with the source vessels traversing parallel to the shore.
BP has yet to finalize the detailed roster of vessels involved in the operation but is having the two main source vessels and some cable boats fabricated in France for Arctic conditions, Streever said. Small boats will probably be used to lay the receivers in the water. BP expects about 220 people to be involved in carrying out the survey.
As part of its mitigation measures, to minimize disturbance to marine mammals, BP plans to have one marine mammal observer on each source vessel. The boats are too small to carry more than one observer, but other people on the boats will assist the observers by watching out for animals, Streever said.
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