Project and operations updateOil and gas
GUPCO and SLB sign 1,035-square-kilometre Gulf of Suez seismic survey
The Egyptian ministry says an ocean-bottom-node survey in GUPCO concession areas is due to start next month and is intended to refine exploration targeting.
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- First published on EPC Feed
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Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum said GUPCO and SLB signed a contract for an ocean-bottom-node (OBN) seismic survey in GUPCO concession areas in the central and southern Gulf of Suez. The project covers 1,035 square kilometres, which the ministry describes as the largest survey of its kind using OBN technology. Work is due to begin in November 2026. The release gives no survey budget, node count, acquisition schedule or completion date.
The ministry says the project is intended to improve subsurface imaging, identify exploration opportunities and reduce risk. It reports that five exploratory wells drilled in GUPCO areas from 2022 to 2026 using OBN data had an 80 percent success rate, compared with about 25 percent in 2017–2022 before that data was used. These are figures attributed to GUPCO’s chairman. The announcement does not define success, list the wells or isolate the effect of OBN from other changes in prospect selection and investment.
An April ministry report provides an earlier, separate example of OBN use in the Gulf of Suez. It says GUPCO’s South Wasl BB exploratory well tested at approximately 2,500 barrels per day and 3 million standard cubic feet per day, and was connected to existing facilities. The ministry linked that result to advanced seismic acquisition, including OBN. The April well is not part of the October survey contract, and its result does not demonstrate what the new survey will find.
The October release also says Dragon Oil’s technology use and investment contributed to GUPCO field production reaching its highest level since 2019, without publishing a production figure or breaking down contributing factors. This is separate operating context, not an output forecast for the new survey. The contract itself concerns data acquisition in concession areas; it does not announce drilling commitments or a new discovery.
The project’s value will depend on how the acquired data informs later exploration decisions. At present, the ministry has announced an area and planned start, but not the survey design or a well schedule. The prior South Wasl result shows that an OBN-supported target was drilled and connected; it cannot establish that the 1,035-square-kilometre programme will produce a similar result. No reserve estimate, development approval or production addition is reported for the October contract.
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