Offshore Surveyors OFG, EMGS Enter CSEM Tech Pact

Canadian offshore survey firm Ocean Floor Geophysics (OFG) and its Norwegian counterpart Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA (EMGS) have signed a cooperation agreement.

Under the agreement, the two offshore surveyors have agreed to work together on various projects to promote the use of marine controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) technology.

"The agreement places specific emphasis on exploiting the obvious synergies between the state-of-the-art towed-streamer CSEM system from FG (under its exclusive right to acquire the PGS EM technology) and the industry-leading sea-bottom CSEM/MT nodal system from EMGS," the two companies said in a joint statement on Monday.

To remind, OFG last month signed a deal with PGS under which it acquired the exclusive rights to use the hardware, software and intellectual property associated with the PGS towed streamer CSEM () system, in exchange for shares in OFG.

Cooperation between EMGS and OFG will include the development of proprietary and multi-client surveys, and multiphysics reprocessing of existing seismic and CSEM data, EMGS and OFG said.

“We are delighted to have entered into this agreement with EMGS”, said Richard Cooper, President of OFG Multiphysics. “Combining our technologies, expertise and market experience is an obvious next step for both companies and allows us to provide fast and efficient data acquisition and processing services over the widest possible range of marine environments for resource and environmental applications.”

“We see industry collaboration as key for advancing the EM technology. This agreement allows us to expand our acquisition offering to also include the towed-streamer technology and together with OFG we will continue to work on expanding the CSEM market and the range of CSEM applications”, said Bjørn Petter Lindhom, CEO of EMGS.