CGGVeritas announced on Monday that ARGAS, its Saudi Arabian joint venture owned 49 percent by CGGVeritas and 51 percent by TAQA, has been awarded two major Ocean Bottom Cable (OBC) 3D data acquisition contracts by Saudi Aramco. The two contracts have a combined value of around $375 million. The first project is scheduled to start in June 2010 and operate for a period of 18 months while the second is scheduled to run from October 2010 for a period of 24 months; each contract respectively has an 18- and 24-month optional extension period. The projects will cover an initial 6,000 sq km over the next three years and require operational expertise working in complex environments, such as producing oil fields and busy shipping lanes within the Saudi waters of the Gulf with depths ranging from 20 to 60 meters. ARGAS will mobilize two fully independent OBC crews equipped with the latest Sercel SeaRay 4C equipment and recording systems. These fully offshore operations will be managed through a fleet of vessels equipped with CGGVeritas deployment and positioning systems geared to operate in such environments. Robert Brunck, chairman and CEO of CGGVeritas, said “we are very pleased that Saudi Aramco is continuing its long-term relationship with CGGVeritas through this new award to our ARGAS joint venture with TAQA. These two major OBC surveys follow on from the successful completion by ARGAS of offshore projects for Saudi Aramco in 2009 which already covered close to 12,000 sq km in the Gulf. They also confirm the position of CGGVeritas as a worldwide leader in OBC acquisition.” Meanwhile, Aramco recently joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative (MITEI) as a sustaining member. Aramco said the five-year alliance will support MITEI's research and development of new energy technologies and improve processing techniques for cleaner fuels. Isam A. Al-Bayat, Saudi Aramco's vice president of Engineering Services, and Rafael Reif, MIT provost, signed a letter of acknowledgement at MIT's offices in Cambridge, Mass. to formalize the relationship. Al-Bayat said Saudi Aramco was honored to join with such a world-class organization “to support innovative energy research to help meet the world's energy challenges.” Established in 2006, MITEI brings together top researchers from MIT and the business sector to launch new initiatives focused on energy security, clean-fuel technologies and education. As a sustaining member, Aramco will have a seat on the MITEI governing board, which provides key input into the initiative's research portfolio. Aramco's participation will also allow the company to work through MITEI to conduct customized research that supports R&DC's priorities.
