Example 2: Crew

3D - 4C - OBC
 Crew setup: main vessels
Crew organized around five major vessels, supported by smaller boats for auxiliary tasks (acoustic, chasing,
crew change, supply).

Main vessel, accommodating administration and the offices of the

operational departments: navigation, seismic data recording, cable
workshop and seismic QC. This is the center of the crew,
positioned with DP driven stabilization, moving only for recorder
position changes.

Two Cable boats, working

independently, under the
control of the navigation office
to handle all cable operations:
deployment, retrieval, Two source vessels, under the control of the
troubleshooting. They are navigation office, working in conjunction with
equipped for acoustic the seismic recorder, carrying the source arrays
positioning. and associated compressors and mechanic
workshop.

Onboard the Main vessel, the navigation main office, the recorder (SEARAY) and the computer resources of the
QC department, together with the source boats, are connected in a fast network allowing for the navigation
system (GATOR), to control all the operations from a unique central point
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 Acquisition systems
GATOR takes pre-plot information from the QC planning
section, controls the navigation of the cable and source boats,
synchronizes the two source vessels when operating in flip flop
mode, dispatches and receives back all navigation and acoustic
information to and from the working boats, triggers the source
and recorder at each shot and finally collects the gun status for
every shot… before making them available to the QC department

The recorder is set in slave mode, receiving time break from

GATOR and transferring seismic data immediately to the QC
department disk storage, while keeping safe copy on its own
disks. Data quality can be controlled in real time with all the QC
tools available. Transfer to SEG-D cartridges is usually done
immediately under the control of the chief QC.

Although the recorder looks passive in this scheme, the observer

does not work blind since he receives in real time all information
pertaining to the acquisition operations. Preparation, setup and
response of the receiver spread remain fully under his
responsibility as well as the overall quality of the records

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 Observer’s screens
Real Time Display:
..Location map Spread control
..Seismic lines (SN428)
..Source boat
sail path
..Cable boat
sail path Second recorder
..All gun status
(Gator)

Operations log
(automatic update
Current
at each shot)
seismic record
(sqcpro)

Edition of
observer’s log

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 Navigation system (GATOR) screen
F. Synchronization delays between H. Auxiliary boat on acoustic pass
Gator and all systems

F E. Platform installation
with obstacles and
D. First cable boat H safety areas
preparing to retrieve
a line E

C. First source vessel C D

turning to next line
B

B. Current swath with

G pre-plot source lines

A. Summary of activity of the main vessels

G. Guns status of the two arrays (time, depth, pressure,
of the crew: speed, position, task, etc…
sub-array separation, autofire flag

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Acquisition phases

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Main vessel

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Cables and Nodes

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Source vessels (x2)

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Source sub-array

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Source vessel

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Cable boats (x2)

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 Supporting boats

Acoustic positioning Crew boat

Chase boat Chase boat

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 Resources

2 SEARAY recorders Seismic crew (2 shifts):

80km of cables (3,200 4C receivers) 45 seniors
Over 1,000 transponders 40 assistants + helpers
Some cable-less nodes
60 active guns + spare Marine crews:
9 vessels 130 persons

Daily production: 2,500 shots in average

Maximum daily production: over 4,000
Surface: 290 km2
Fold: 165 (offset range 0-5500m)
330 (all offsets)

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Example of 4C data

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