Page 34: of Marine Technology Magazine (April 2015)

Of shore may be required for the UK to maintain a sustainable future in

Oil and Gas Exploration the oil and gas sector. In an industry traditionally resistant to Seismic survey techniques are used to produce an image of change, new approaches will need to be established in order to the rock formations beneath the seabed and identify potential affordably meet the rising demands of the global energy market. oil and gas deposits in sedimentary basins. Exploration and “The key is to be smart. We need to gather a more compre- appraisal drilling can then determine the type and volume of hensive, detailed knowledge of the environment and the geolo- any accumulations present. gy before attempting to drill,” said Prof. Jacques Yves Guigné, Seismic surveys follow a similar general principle of echolo- inventor and developer of Acoustic Zoom. “For instance, brute cation or sonar. A ship-towed array of multiple airguns sends strength drilling and hope for the best is not an option any- pulses of sound by a rapid release of compressed air through more. Higher de