Blue Ocean Seismic Services

Blue Ocean Seismic Services is a UK-based company that offers reportedly the world’s first autonomous, subsea nodes using swarm technologies to capture imaging (OBS) data from the ocean floor. The company’s technology combines intelligent control infrastructure, automated handling systems, uncrewed surface vessels, and swarms of self-repositioning nodes. The company serves applications such as carbon capture and storage, oil and gas, offshore wind, and scientific exploration. The company also has offices in London and Perth.

Having witnessed positive results in a series of trials in May 2023, the company planned to commercially launch in Q4 2024. The reported results from this round saw multiple vehicles operating simultaneously, making it “a world first” and representing proof of technology. By removing the overall need for energy-intensive exploration vessels and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), the technology was expected to reduce seismic survey costs by more than 50% and substantially reduce associated carbon emissions.

Key customers and partnerships

In September 2019, Woodside, a leading petroleum exploration and production company, signed an agreement to invest in Blue Ocean Seismic Services. During the same period, the concept of using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) was jointly developed with Woodside and Blue Ocean Monitoring. As of December 2022, Woodside owned 28.50% of Blue Ocean Seismic Services.