The Government of Guyana is moving ahead with a large-scale 3D multi-client seismic survey offshore, a step it says will strengthen the country’s petroleum framework and improve the attractiveness of unexplored offshore acreage for future investment.
The Ministry of Natural Resources said the project will be supported by geoscience company Viridien following an international procurement process launched in 2024.
Viridien, formerly CGG Services (US) Inc., has worked with Guyana since 2010 and has been responsible for acquiring, processing and managing the country’s seismic data, the Ministry said.
A 3D seismic survey is an advanced geophysical method that uses sound waves to create high-resolution, three-dimensional images of underground geological structures. The technology is widely used in oil and gas exploration to identify potential hydrocarbon deposits and guide drilling decisions.
The agreement allows the survey to proceed without direct public spending. The project will be financed through a pre-funding model in which oil companies provide early capital for the surveys in exchange for exclusive early access to the resulting data.
All seismic data collected will remain the property of the Government of Guyana, which can license the information to third parties.
The survey will cover roughly 25,000 square kilometers offshore, including all 11 blocks offered in Guyana’s 2022 licensing round located south of the Stabroek Block and extending toward the Guyana–Suriname border.
The agreement also provides for the reprocessing and integration of existing seismic datasets. The new data is expected to help de-risk exploration in the Guyana Basin and support the marketing of offshore acreage in future bid rounds.
The acquisition phase is expected to last about one year once pre-funding commitments are secured, followed by processing and interpretation of the data.
