Development Direction of Offshore Seismic Exploration Technology

With the deepening of offshore oil and gas exploration in China, the proportion of tectonic oil and gas reservoirs has decreased significantly, and complex fields such as deep layer, buried hill, and lithology have become new growth poles in the searching of offshore oil and gas. This poses a new challenge to seismic exploration technology. In order to solve the geological problems in these complex fields, seismic acquisition methods such as small bins, high folds, ultra-long offsets, wide/multi azimuth Ocean Bottom Nodes are constantly emerging. The geometry and operation methods for offshore seismic acquisition have become increasingly complex, leading to a substantial increase in the cost of acquisition while enhancing the quality of seismic data under complex offshore geological conditions. It is urgent to practice the concept of value-driven exploration, reduce acquisition cost through technical innovation, and lead the high-quality development of offshore seismic exploration. This paper focuses on introducing several efficient offshore seismic acquisition technologies, including analysis of current status, applications, and prospects of technological development. While improving the quality of offshore seismic data and enhancing exploration efficiency, concerted efforts are made to raise acquisition efficiency and develop an economically and technically integrated offshore seismic exploration technology. This is essential for achieving value-driven exploration and promoting the high-quality development of offshore oil and gas exploration. © 2024 China University of Geosciences. All rights reserved.