Sopuruchi Onwuka

Nigeria’s petroleum rights administrator, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has authorized SeaSeis Geophysical Limited to launch off seismic and gravity data acquisition offshore Niger Delta.

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The seismic campaign hosted in a Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) No. 5 signed with the NUPRC authorizes Seaseis and its partner, TGS, to undertake the acquisition and processing of new 3D seismic and gravity data across 11,700 square kilometers offshore the Eastern Niger Delta in water depths of 400-2800 meters.

PEL 5 area lies in the Outer Fold & Thrust Belt of the eastern Niger Delta which is Nigeria’s most prolific but geologically complex region.

The license, according to NUPRC, “is expected to unlock stronger prospectivity, enhance subsurface understanding, and support more efficient development of Nigeria’s hydrocarbon resources in line with Section 71(1-10) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.”

Oracle Intelligence reports that the federal government is accelerating efforts to boost immediate oil production and also support long term sustainability of production by building the country’s reserves base through increased exploration activities especially at a time international oil companies have shifted their activities to investment recovery.

Nigeria’s February oil production averaged under 1.35 million barrels per day, according to industry statistics monitored by Oracle Intelligence through end of year operations reports. And new exploration data would enable operating license holders spot bright leads for new exploration.

Under the three-year agreement, the partners would issue commercial data-use licenses based on the generated data. And a commercial agreement guides distribution of expected revenues among government and partners in the venture.

Commission Chief Executive, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the issuance of the PEL5 license reflects the NUPRC’s continued commitment to data-driven exploration, transparency, and long-term value creation for Nigeria and the oil and gas sector.

She noted that exploration is fundamentally driven by confidence in data and processes, adding that the PEL No. 5 initiative underscores the importance of credible partnerships in achieving national production and reserve growth targets.

“The PIA recognizes that we assign licenses on non-exclusive acreages to contractors who are willing to carry out exploration activity, and as the chief superintendent of the industry, we also ensure that we maintain our production targets, including reserves and the only way we can achieve that successfully is if we have partners who are willing to explore,” she said.

Mrs Eyesan observed that PEL 5 license signals a growing appetite for exploration activities within the sector.

Managing Director of SeaSeis Geophysical Limited, Mr Goke Adeniyi, described the PEL5 as the company’s largest project in Africa, noting that it underscores the scale of opportunity within Nigeria’s upstream sector.

Adeniyi said Seaseis’ partnership with TGS ensures use of the GeoStreamer dual-sensor tech with long offsets, wide tow and triple-source – broadband acquisition technology.

“We are confident that the resultant High fidelity 3D seismic data will provide operators with the data quality needed to evaluate prospects with greater confidence,” he stated.