TGS expands seismic data reprocessing across three continents
Norwegian energy data firm TGS is launching major seismic reprocessing projects off the coasts of Canada, Norway and Ghana, providing exploration companies with updated subsurface intelligence needed to evaluate new frontier drilling investments.
TGS announced on July 22 that it has commenced three separate seismic data reprocessing projects spanning the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea and the Gulf of Guinea. The initiatives cover a combined area of more than 61,000 square kilometers, with final data deliveries scheduled throughout 2027.
In the multi-client business model, TGS funds the upfront processing costs and then licenses the resulting datasets to exploration and production firms. Reprocessing legacy seismic surveys is significantly cheaper than acquiring new data, offering E&P companies a lower-cost route to de-risking drilling targets.
Offshore Canada, the company is upgrading approximately 13,300 km2 of 3D seismic data in the Orphan Basin near Newfoundland and Labrador. The reprocessing aims to improve subsurface imaging to help explorers assess opportunities in what is considered a highly prospective region.
“Continued investment in geoscience data is essential to advancing understanding of the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore and maintaining the region’s position as a globally competitive exploration jurisdiction,” said Jim Keating, CEO of Oil and Gas Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In the Norwegian Sea, TGS will reprocess over 23,000 km2 of 3D data across the underexplored Atlantic Margin South. Interim products will be available in the third quarter of 2026, with full volumes following in the second quarter of 2027.
The Norwegian Continental Shelf project targets a gas-prone volcanic basin, catering to an industry shifting its focus toward frontier areas. “As the industry sharpens it’s exploration efforts in more frontier basins, this dataset will enable E&P companies to reveal and derisk new prospectivity,” said Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS.
Separately, TGS has partnered with Ghana’s Petroleum Commission to develop a new 2D-cubed seismic project in the Keta Basin. The effort will synthesize 5,500 km2 of 3D data and over 14,700 kilometers of 2D data into a unified 25,300 km2 volume covering both shelf and deepwater areas.
Final products for the Gulf of Guinea project are expected in the first quarter of 2027. “The Keta Basin holds real untapped potential, and our customers need a clear, reliable view of it to act with confidence,” said David Hajosky, Executive Vice President, Multi-Client at TGS.
The three projects follow a recent strategic agreement with Allton focused on deploying deepwater ocean-bottom node technology, signaling a broader push by TGS to modernize its global data library.
