Three Western Geophysical crews shooting North Slope winter programs

North Slope winter seismic activity includes two crews for ARCO Alaska Inc. working primarily in the west and one for BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. with projects from Smith Bay to the Canning River.

Western Geophysical Co. is doing all of the work. Both projects were slated to start at the end of November and run through the end of May — or the end of tundra travel, whichever comes first.

Two crews will be working for ARCO Alaska, with 500-1,000 square miles estimated per crew. ARCO’s 1999 Salmon project, about three quarters offshore, runs from the Kuparuk River southwest to the Shaviovik River.

An east National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska program includes the Nuiqsut area and a west NPR-A program includes Teshekpuk Lake. The Grizzly program is south of Nuiqsut and west of Franklin Bluffs.

BP has seven programs slated from Smith Bay in the west to the Canning River in the east, with 500-1,000 square miles estimated. The seven programs include: west Sag River (southwest of Deadhorse and west of the trans-Alaska pipeline); Sag River (southwest of Deadhorse and centered on the trans-Alaska pipeline); mesa (southeast of Nuiqsut); summit (northeast of Nuiqsut); NPR-A (includes Teshekpuk Lake); east Sag River (Deadhorse and a long swath to the southeast); and an eastern program (onshore and offshore to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge).