Exploration geoscientists continue to make deepwater field discoveries at ever-increasing water depths around the world. Once these discoveries are sanctioned for development, headaches begin for the field development and pipeline engineers. With timelines for first oil or gas from these discoveries averaging less than three years, the need for high-resolution geophysical survey data required for the front-end engineering design (FEED) is paramount. The speed and efficiency with which autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can acquire survey data is vital to meeting deadlines for these projects. This paper provides a brief history, system overview, and planned sensor upgrades for AUVs developed by C & C Technologies. A brief discussion on a 3D AUV microseismic technique is presented.

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