SLB and Shearwater Kick Off 3D Seismic Acquisition Campaign Offshore Brazil’s Amapá Coast

Oilfield services firm SLB and marine geophysical contractor Shearwater GeoServices have begun a new three-dimensional seismic survey in the Amapá region offshore northern Brazil, according to a company announcement.

The campaign will use seismic vessels to map subsurface rock formations beneath the seabed, a common early-stage activity in upstream exploration. Three-dimensional seismic data helps energy companies identify promising geological structures before committing to the far larger expense of drilling an exploration well.

Brazil remains one of the most active exploration arenas in the world, driven largely by the pre-salt play in the country’s southeastern basins. Activity further north, near the equatorial margin where Amapá sits, has drawn growing interest from operators looking at frontier basins along South America’s Atlantic coastline. Seismic acquisition programs like this one are typically a precursor to licensing rounds, farm-in decisions, or drilling commitments in a basin.

SLB, formerly known as Schlumberger, is one of the largest providers of technology and services across the oil and gas value chain, including reservoir imaging through its geoscience operations. Shearwater is a specialist in marine seismic acquisition and processing, and the two companies have partnered on survey projects previously.

Shares of SLB traded at $57.10 in recent activity, up 0.18% from the prior close of $57.00, valuing the company at roughly $84.7 billion.

The survey’s timing aligns with a broader pickup in geophysical work offshore Latin America, as service providers report steady demand for exploration data across multiple basins. Acquisition campaigns of this kind can take months to complete, with data processing following once vessels finish their acquisition lines.

What to watch

• Completion timelines for the Amapá survey and subsequent data processing milestones announced by the partners.
• Any operator interest, licensing developments, or drilling plans that emerge for the Amapá basin in upcoming Brazilian regulatory cycles.
• SLB’s next quarterly earnings report, which may include commentary on seismic and geoscience demand in Latin America.
• Additional exploration-stage announcements along Brazil’s equatorial margin from other survey and service providers.

Source: original release