Extensive Broadband 3D Seismic to De-risk and Mature the West of Shetland Exploration Portfolio

Despite significant discoveries within several stratigraphic intervals, a major part of the U.K.C.S, Faroe-Shetland basin is still under-explored. This paper discusses how Total E&P U.K Ltd along with its partners successfully acquired two large broadband 3D seismic over the large West of Shetland exploration blocks to de-risk, mature and maximise the exploration portfolio. Exploration and development operations in WoS is always a challenging task due to short weather window, deep water and hostile environment along with subsurface uncertainties and challenges including significant amount of igneous intrusion and subaerial volcanics affecting the seismic imaging.

As part of cost optimisation, prioritisation of drilling targets and taking in account the narrow weather window for seismic operations, both broadband 3D were acquired in two phases between 2013–2015 using dual-sensor streamers, with same acquisition parameters. Both phases were finally processed together to PSDM utilising state-of-the-art technologies, providing seamless strati-structural interpretation across several prospects and well calibrations. The broadband 3D data has already proved to be a game changer in understanding the basin and maturing the key prospects to drilling targets.