Sea Bed Logging Technology – A First Experience for the Philippines

Ramlee Abdul Rahman, Paul R. Bernabe and Tuty Zalmi Bt M Hasim

PETRONAS Carigali Overseas Sdn Bhd, Level 14, Tower 2,
PETRONAS Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur City Centre,
50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Sea Bed Logging (SBL), or Controlled Source Electro-Magnetic surveying is a remote-sensing technique that detects resistivity variations in the subsurface. The technique involves a towed electromagnetic source that emits low-frequency, continuous EM signals into the seawater and the subsurface. An array of receivers deployed at the seabed records the returning signal. Depending on the contrasts, such highly resistive bodies can be identified and associated with the presence of hydrocarbons.

While the technology is relatively new having been introduced less than five years ago, SBL is fast gaining acceptance in the petroleum exploration industry. The technology has attracted interest from major oil companies worldwide and has been increasingly used as part of their work programs to minimize uncertainties in finding oil and gas accumulations.

PETRONAS Carigali Overseas Sdn Bhd, the operator of Service Contract 47 has engaged the services of ElectroMagnetic GeoServices (EMGS), a Norwegian company which developed the SBL technology, to carry out the survey over two prospects, the Kamia and Molave, in June 2006. This paper shares how this new oil and gas exploration tool was applied, together with the knowledge learned and experiences gained from the first ever SBL survey conducted in the Philippines.