Grapevine

Integra Merges with Scott Pickford

Calgary-based, employee-owned Integra Geoservices has successfully completed a merger transaction with U.K.-based Scott Pick ford Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Core Laboratories, a large international company with over 60 years in the petroleum industry. Management and staff of Integra will not change.

The operations of Integra and Scott Pickford are highly complementary. While Integra offers seismic services to Calgary-based oil and gas companies, Scott Pick ford runs seismic processing centers in London and Houston. Calgary clients will now be able to take advantage of Scott Pickford's onshore North African 2D and 3D seismic experience. Scott Pickford is also known for its expertise in utilizing seismic techniques for lithology prediction, reservoir characterization and "True Depth" solutions in the North Sea, which will have significant application to Canada's east coast developments.

China Geology '99

We are pleased to announce that China Geology '99 (The 4th International Geological Technology, Machinery and Instruments Exhibition) will be held June 15-1 8, 1999 at the National Agricultural Exhibition Hall, Beijing, P.R. China. It is the third time 'Together Expo' has had the opportunity to be the Co-organizer of this exhibition.

China Geology '99 will be the largest geological exhibition in China during 1999. An exhibitor can display the advanced techniques and products concerning geological field as well as exchange technical experiences with international geophysical/geological technology and equipment companies. For further information contact Ms. Carmen Yeung, Together Expo Limited, Units A & B, 14/F, Guangdong Tours Centre, 18 Pennington Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, or via email: tgrexpo@netvigator.com.

Marine Production Levels in Land 3D Seismic

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Veritas DGC and SERCEL are pleased to announce that the first successful deployment of the slip-sweep Vibroseis technique has been achieved in late September, 1998, on a 3D seismic crew in the Sultanate of Oman.

The slip-sweep technique, invented and promoted by PDO, is considered to be a significant breakthrough in terms of Vibroseis acquisition technology. The simple idea behind slip sweep is "to start sweeping the next vibrator group without waiting for the current vibration to be completed", leading to a significant gain in productivity, particularly in open area. Slip-sweep can be used either for 2D or 3D seismic surveys to increase production or to increase signal to noise ratio without a cycle time penalty.

The industrial implementation of slipsweep capability within a seismic acquisition system is a good example of successful cooperation between an oil company, seismic contractors and equipment manufacturer to respond to a specific industry need.

NFK Project Participation

Scott Pickford, a Core Laboratories Company, is pleased to announce that Elf Petroleum Norge A/S has confirmed that it wishes to participate in NFK Phases 2 and 3. The use of NFK is seen as a strategic part of the company's exploration and geological modeling activities.

The total number of participants to the NFK Project are now 10 Clients. This figure affirms that over half of the oil companies operating in Norway are benefiting from the enhanced geological information provided by NFK.

A New Address For SERCEL Representation Office in Moscow

SERCEL has recently moved its representative office in Moscow to a new location with more space and more convenient facilities for better Customer Services including Sales, Field Services and Spare Parts Ordering. It will improve the quality of the services provided, particularly allowing the set up of a new Training Centre to offer technical programs about SERCEL's seismic acquisition systems to its Russian customers.

The new address and telephone / fax numbers are : UI. Bolshoy Tishinsky Pereu lok 8/2, 123557 Moscow, Russian Federation, Telephone: (+7095) 254 06 59 / Fax: (+7095) 354 1752.

Beaver Ranch 3D

Enron Oil Canada Ltd and Olympic Seismic Ltd have recently announced that the Beaver Ranch 3D survey is nearing 30%, completion. The 160 sq mile survey is targeting oil plays in the area and is located near Bug Muddy Lake, S.E. Saskatchewan extending into Montana. The survey conducted by Olympic Seismic Ltd is utilizing state of the art 3D technology. An extensive environmental study was conducted of the area to address the sensitive ecological and archeological issues throughout the acquisition, and a full-time Environmental observer and Archeological Scientist are under contract. Heli/GPS survey allowed the area to be mapped, incorporating a detailed video that resulted in cost and time saving on surveying and drilling and reducing unnecessary trips to the field. Acquisition is scheduled to be completed by December 1998.

SEG Annual Meeting and Exposition Set All-Time Records

Despite a year of deflated energy prices, the International Exposition and 68th Annual Meeting of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists set an all-time record for exhibit booth sales, eclipsing last year's record by approximately 200 booths. New highs were also reached in technical offerings, international attendance, international exposition, publication sales and student participation. The exposition's 373 exhibiting companies occupied 1,458 booths, or 145,800 sq. ft. of exhibit space. This year's exhibitors have already reserved 1,106 booths for the 1999 exposition, October 31st November 5th in Houston. The show's New Exhibitor Showcase, dedicated to first-time exhibitors, expanded well beyond 1997 participation and the original area designed for 1998.

Official attendance exceeded 10,000 during six days at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and adjacent hotels. The 15,000-member organization of earth scientists assembled to exchange technical information in the field of exploration geophysics and examine the latest technology and equipment. Delegates from 83 countries attended the meeting, 12 more than in 1997. The International showcase, an area dedicated to international exhibitors, included 32 groups from 26 countries.

The Honors & Awards ceremony honored 36 industry leaders for their technical and personal contribution to the profession of exploration geophysics and the Society. The premier award. The Maurice Ewing gold medal, was presented to Robert E. Sheriff, now on the faculty of the University of Houston.

This year's technical program, headed by co-chairmen Robert Brown and Lynn Comeaux offered 12 pre-convention continuing education courses, eight technical luncheons and receptions, a virtual environment theater, 12 interactive workstation sessions, 68 half-day oral pilper presentation sessions (each offering up to eight talks), three days of poster pilper presentations (featuring 150 contributors), and 11 post-convention workshops. A new course offering this year, The Business of Geophysics, provided geoscientists a broadened perspective of the industry.

Book sales at the conference exceeded all previous records in both numbers of titles and total sales. The Society is the primary publisher of its industry's scientific information, producing two monthly magazines, books, monthly Internet offerings and CD ROMs.

A total of 386 university-students from 25 countries attended the conference in response to the Society's efforts to replenish its industry with new talent.

SEG encourages student development through student scholarships and invitations to Society events.

Information on the 1999 SEG International Exposition and Sixty-Ninth Annual Meeting, Oct. 31 - Nov. 5 may be obtained by contacting the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, P.O. Box 702740, Tulsa, OK 74170-2740, by calling (918) 497-5500 or at www.seg.org on the Internet.