StatoilHydro has signed a letter of intent for six seismic acquisition vessels which will gather data on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS).

The deal's value is estimated at NOK 1.8 billion.
Secured seismic capacity includes three PGS vessels -- Ramform Challenger, Ramform Sovereign and Atlantic Explorer, as well as Fugro Geoteam's Geo Celtic, Wavefield Inseis's Geowave Commander and WesternGeco's Geco Triton.

"The six vessels allow us to map large areas, and the seismic data will give us a better foundation for finding drilling targets on the NCS," says Bjarte Ydstebø, vice president for drilling and well acquisitions in StatoilHydro.
Next year's StatoilHydro NCS seismic activity will cover some 2,310 square miles (6,000 square km) of 3-D and 965 square miles (2,500 sq km) of 4-D surveys.