VIEW FROM THE TOP
COMPLEXITY IS A MARKET OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PREPARED KARIM LASSEL Vice President and Mexico Geomarket Director of CGG
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Q: As CGG is celebrating its 30th anniversary, what has it
at that time. Today, the market is open to new companies
learned from this long experience?
and we are looking forward to offering such strengths to
A: Over the course of the last 30 years we have learned
them too.
how important it is to be close to the client, to understand market needs and to address them through innovative
Q: What challenges do you face when offering CGG’s
solutions. Many companies make the mistake of selling a
services?
service just because they offer it, and then try to fit the
A: In recent years the biggest challenge has been the budget
needs of the client to that service. Thanks to our track
constraints most operators have had. Large contracts have
record in Mexico, we have developed a deep understanding
been limited, although we have been successful in winning
of Mexican geologies and hydrocarbon provinces. Some
a few of them. When it comes to more modest contracts,
of our colleagues at CGG Mexico have almost 30 years of
the challenge is still the price, but here the perception of
seniority. Very few companies can say that. Our objective
the cost of geoscience services versus fields operations
in Mexico is to focus our activities on what really matters
has not always worked in our favor. Interestingly, the value
for the country, and right now that means cost-effective
of our services increases if clients look beyond the costs
and value-added products, such as multiclient services and
and focus on the benefits. We can compare the value of a
offerings.
geophysical project for the oil and gas industry to the value of an X-ray for medicine. Like an X-ray that shows what
Q: What differentiates CGG’s GeoConsulting services in
is happening inside a human body, a geophysical study
Mexico?
provides a clear image of the Earth’s subsurface structure
A: Through our GeoConsulting services, CGG has developed
and, for example, where to drill to maximize oil recovery.
a series of very specific and specialized workflows that
If we miss that optimal spot by just 500m because the
differentiate it from any other player in the market. In
geophysical study was not conducted properly, this can
addition, we have three main strengths. The first lies in the
potentially ruin a project, and exponentially increase costs
expertise of our senior staff who are located around the
to solve the problem. With this in mind, the critical role
world and on whom we can rely at any moment. The second
our services play in guaranteeing successful operations is
is our GeoSoftware business line that develops geoscience
obvious and they have become major tools for de-risking
software tools used by both our clients and GeoConsulting,
E&P activities.
and that are highly specialized to support the workflows we use to address our clients’ needs. Finally, with our broad,
Q: Where in the life cycle of a well or field should seismic
long-standing experience in the Mexican market, we have
studies be conducted?
gathered an inventory of over 250 studies of all the Mexican
A: Seismic can provide critical support at almost every
provinces, from onshore to shallow and deepwater. Six of
stage. Be it in the early stages of the exploration plan, for
those studies were multidisciplinary as they included all the
example, with 2D acquisition and processing to delineate
possible data available for those fields and can therefore be
regional trends, or at later stages in the field life cycle, for
considered as major studies. Those studies were developed
instance, with high-density and advanced 3D seismic to
for PEMEX, as it was the only company operating in Mexico
characterize reservoirs in detail and support asset managers for full field development plans.
geological,
Seismic data are highly valuable assets for an oil field
geophysical and reservoir capabilities to customers primarily
and their optimization can determine whether a project
in the global oil and gas industry, bringing value across all
is successful, or not. The secret is to always start with the
aspects of natural resources and exploration
end-purpose in mind.
CGG is
a
geoscience
company
providing