PGS Onshore - Core Values in Action

PGS Crew 300 vibrators shaking through a residential neighborhood in Anadarko, Oklahoma

For 10 days in February, 2007, PGS Onshore Crew 300 conducted highly successful multi-client 3D seismic operations in the town of Anadarko, Oklahoma, population approximately 8,000.  This survey is remarkable because it includes a populated area, and because our proactive approach interacting with the community, its officials and the Bureau of Indian Affairs is an illuminating example of how PGS Onshore implements Core Values in all facets of our business.

 

Initiative and Innovation
Communication with city officials was an ongoing operation from the start of permitting on the Caddo III project.  PGS presented Anadarko’s City Council with the benefits the nearby town of Marlow received from one of PGS’ recent 3D shoots.  Marlow was transformed from a rural, economically depressed town to a vibrant, buoyant one due to the uplift in tax revenues generated from the renewed oil and gas drilling, discoveries and activities.  Many of the citizens and the local school are still collecting benefits in the form of significant royalty checks. Besides the possibility of income that could be received by a successful 3D shoot, the seismic crew would benefit the local economy through the use of motels, restaurants, and other local merchants.  Taking the initiative to open the lines of communication with the city council was critical to the success of this project.

Leadership in HSE
The city council of Anadarko was excited yet cautious upon hearing their town was going to be inside our survey.  They were further impressed and their concerns alleviated by the formal city presentation we gave, defined safe guards and information provided to them.  PGS assured the city we would take every precaution necessary to protect structures and pedestrians during our operation. We continued to demonstrate leadership in HSE by bringing in specialists to measure Peak Particle Velocity Levels (PPV) – a measure of ground movement used to avoid damage to structures, water lines and other city infrastructure.  Measurements were made at every structure near to our source points to ensure our energy levels would be in compliance with the threshold set by the city.

People Focus and Integrity
Work within the city limits started on February 7, 2007.  Crew 300 took every precaution to focus on minimizing possible inconvenience to the local community.  Daily meetings with all crew personnel were conducted to go over vibrator locations for that day. Permit agents would then take an updated map to the city council to head off possible calls from concerned citizens.  Further, the crew limited their exposure inside the city limits between 09:30 and 14:30, when children were in school and most adults were at work to minimize any interference crew activities caused the community.

Delivery and Reliability
All vibrator operations inside the city limits were completed without incident on February 17, 2007.  The crew has since moved to the west of the city to complete the rest of the survey, with estimated completion in September 2007.  Crew 300 took a tremendous amount of care to ensure a positive experience for the city and maintain an excellent reputation for PGS.

In a subsequent city council meeting PGS received accolades that the entire crew operation went without incident and at all times, the crew was polite and helpful.  Anadarko City Manager Robert E. Williamson wrote a letter stating, “The City of Anadarko would like to extend our appreciation for the professionalism with which your project within our city has been handled….The majority of our residents never realized the shaking or vibing through our town even happened.”

Anadarko has been Crew 300’s base of operations for the last four years, and the city is very familiar with our vibroseis trucks and personnel.  Usually when a survey encompasses a city, the crew goes around the city, leaving a hole in the data.  However, with Caddo III, because of our positive reputation with the city of Anadarko and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, we were able to shoot within the city limits allowing for good near offsets and ultimately allowing a more complete seismic representation of the area.

This survey is a testament to the importance of communication and team work between the community and PGS. Congratulations to PGS Onshore Crew 300 for demonstrating delivery and reliability, leadership in HSE, people focus and integrity, and initiative and innovation; making a real commitment to community.

This is a shining example of Core Values in action.

Pre-plot	Post-plot

Pre-plot and post-plot of source (red) and receiver (blue) locations in part of Anadarko, Oklahoma