Shearwater bags 2 ONGC projects for 3D seismic surveys of India's coasts: Why it matters
The two separate letters of award (LOAs) from ONGC will see Shearwater use its high-capacity 3D vessels across both of India's coasts
The two separate letters of award (LOAs) from ONGC will see Shearwater use its high-capacity 3D vessels across both of India's coasts.
The two separate letters of award (LOAs) from ONGC will see Shearwater use its high-capacity 3D vessels across both of India's coasts.
The two separate letters of award (LOAs) from ONGC will see Shearwater use its high-capacity 3D vessels across both of India's coasts.
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Monday awarded two contracts to Norwegian geoscience and tech firm Shearwater Geoservices AS, for 3D seismic surveys of India's coasts.
The two separate letters of award (LOAs) will utilise two of Shearwater's high-capacity 3D vessels, with one vessel to map out the country's West coast over nine months, and the other to map out the East coast over a six-month period.
Both projects are expected to begin early on in the fourth quarter of 2026 and are expected to end sometime in 2027.
A marine seismic survey is one that uses ships to map geological structures under the seabed. The point of conducting such surveys is to identify potential spots on the seabed where crude oil and natural gas could be found.
Ships tasked with this purpose use compressed air to produce high-energy, low-frequency sound waves that travel through water and penetrate more than 6,000m under the seabed.
These sound waves then bounce back to the ocean surface where receivers on the ship, called hydrophones, record the details of each sound wave, and then creates a geological map from it.
A 3D survey adds finer details to the geological map, often using more synchronised sound sources and hydrophones than 2D surveys. 4D surveys are basically a set of repeated 3D surveys that show you changes in the amount and location of the crude oil or natural gas deposits.
The final contracts for the projects are expected to be signed during the third quarter of 2026.
"We have built a strong position in India with continuous presence since 2016 ... Our long-standing relationship with ONGC demonstrates our extensive operational track record and provides a solid foundation for continued activity across our fleet and the delivery of high-quality geophysical data supporting regional value creation,” said Irene Waage Basili, the CEO, Shearwater.
The two projects are key parts of ONGC's push to continue mapping out new domestic energy reserves within Indian waters, which is vital at a time when global energy flows have been impacted by tensions in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, where shipping remains fraught with risks.
The Maharatna-status energy major recently reported a net profit of ₹17,034 crore in the first quarter of FY 2026-27, which reflects a 112.3 per cent jump from ₹8,024 crore over the same period last year.