A seismic data acquisition campaign has begun in Uruguay’s offshore waters following final environmental approval from the Ministry of Environment. The project aims to assess the hydrocarbon potential in national deepwater areas.
The initiative is being carried out by CGG Services USA Inc (Viridien) under a multi-client agreement with ANCAP, Uruguay’s state oil company. The seismic vessel BGP Prospector has started deploying seismic cables and will begin collecting data after this operation, which is expected to take four to five days.
The campaign will be conducted in two phases. The first phase, running from March to April this year, will cover 2,500 square kilometers. The second phase is scheduled between November 2026 and April 2027 and will survey up to 4,500 square kilometers.
Approval for the project was granted after a comprehensive review of an environmental management plan developed according to current Environmental Impact Assessment regulations and aligned with international best practices.
The project includes several measures to protect marine life. Specialized marine fauna observers and acoustic monitoring systems are present on board the vessel. Immediate stop protocols are in place if protected species such as cetaceans or sea turtles are detected. Periodic inspections by environmental authorities and continuous monitoring mechanisms have also been established to ensure compliance with all requirements.
According to ANCAP, “The BGP Prospector is a specialized seismic survey vessel for 3D geophysical data acquisition. The project represents an important step forward in advancing knowledge of Uruguay’s offshore geological resources.”
