TDI-Brooks International

What TDI-Brooks International does

TDI-Brooks International, Inc. is a privately held U.S. offshore geoscience services firm founded in 1996 by Drs. James Brooks and Bernie Bernard, headquartered in College Station, Texas. The company delivers four integrated business lines — seabed geotechnical surveys, marine geophysical surveys, seabed geochemical seep-hunting, and environmental baseline surveys — for international and national oil companies, offshore wind developers, and federal agencies. Service execution relies on a fleet of five multi-use oceanographic research vessels (R/V Brooks McCall, Miss Emma McCall, Gyre, Proteus, and the DP2 R/V Nautilus) and in-house chemistry and geotechnical laboratories, augmented by a partnership with Geotek UK for multi-sensor core logging and X-ray CT analytics. The company employs 130+ staff, including fourteen Ph.D.-level scientists, and maintains operations support offices in Houston, Las Palmas, and Istanbul to serve projects in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. East Coast, Caribbean, South America, West Africa, the Black Sea, and Turkey.

The technical platform is built around proprietary tools developed in-house — most notably the CPT-Stinger, which enables cone penetration testing to roughly double the depth of conventional tools; the Gravity CPT; the Auto T-Bar cyclic soil strength instrument; and a heavy-duty Jumbo Piston Coring system capable of 64-foot cores. These tools are paired with proprietary geochemical interpretation methodology developed by co-founder/CTO Dr. Bernie Bernard and a proprietary database of more than 400 international sites, which underpins the firm's seep-hunting and PCPT interpretation capabilities. The company also holds ISO/IEC 17025:2017 laboratory accreditation and Jones Act-compliant U.S.-flagged tonnage that gives privileged access to U.S. EEZ work for federal and IOC clients.

The business model is project-based professional services, with revenue generated through vessel charters, equipment deployment, field survey execution, and laboratory analytical services. Pricing is custom-quoted per project — no standardized public pricing exists — and sales are handled directly by senior leadership (CEO Jim Brooks and Director of Business Development Melissa Wood). Distribution is global and spot-market based, with strategic partnerships for multi-client survey programs (notably with GeoPartners Ltd, NOCAL, CSA Ocean Sciences, and ONHYM/NNPC). The company has no public listing, no disclosed private equity backing, and ownership remains concentrated with the founders, with a wholly owned Nigerian subsidiary (TDI-Brooks Nigeria Ltd.) and an affiliated laboratory (B&B Labs).

Name

TDI-Brooks International

Legal name

TDI-Brooks International, Inc.

Website

https://tdi-bi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

TDI-Brooks International is a U.S.-based offshore geoscience services firm operating a five-vessel fleet and in-house laboratories to deliver geotechnical, geophysical, geochemical seep-hunting, and environmental baseline surveys for oil & gas, offshore wind, and federal agency clients worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Survey Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Other Support Activities for Water Transportation (48839)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Seismic & Geoscience Services (Acquisition, Processing, Interpretation) (EUALABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine Surveys, Testing & NDT (Thickness Gauging, UT/MPI, Pressure Testing, Commissioning) (TLAHAMAK), Offshore Wind & Marine Spatial Planning Regulation (EUAMANAM)

Keywords

• Marine geotechnical surveys
• Offshore geophysical surveys
• Seabed geochemical exploration
• Environmental baseline surveys
• Oceanographic research services

Headquarters

HQ city

College Station

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Marine Survey Services: Project-based contracts for geotechnical surveys, marine geophysical surveys, seabed geochemical seep-hunting, and environmental baseline surveys using company vessels and equipment. Revenue is generated through vessel charters, equipment rental, and technical services.
2. Laboratory Analytical Services: In-house geotechnical and chemistry laboratory services for analyzing offshore samples including soil testing, geochemical screening, and environmental chemistry analysis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TDI-Brooks International provides offshore marine survey services across four core business lines: seabed geotechnical surveys, marine geophysical surveys, seabed geochemical seep-hunting, and environmental baseline surveys. Services are delivered using a fleet of five multi-use oceanographic research vessels equipped with proprietary sampling and in-situ testing tools, supported by in-house geotechnical and chemistry laboratories. The company serves international oil companies, national oil companies, offshore wind developers, and federal/state government agencies on a global, project-contract basis.

Product overview

TDI-Brooks International is a 30-year-old research and service company offering a portfolio of marine survey and analytical services organized around four core business lines: Seabed Geotechnical Surveys, Marine Geophysical Surveys, Seabed Geochemical Seep-Hunting, and Environmental Baseline Surveys. The company operates a fleet of five multi-use oceanographic research vessels (R/V Brooks McCall, R/V Miss Emma McCall, R/V Gyre, R/V Proteus, and R/V Nautilus) equipped with specialized survey and coring equipment including CPT-Stinger, Gravity CPT, Neptune CPT systems, Jumbo Piston Corers, and Vibracorers. Analytical capabilities are provided through in-house Chemistry and Geotechnical Laboratories, supplemented by a partnership with Geotek UK for advanced X-ray CT and multi-sensor core logging services. The company serves the Oil & Gas, Renewables (offshore wind), Defense-Government, and environmental sectors globally, with headquarters in College Station, Texas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• B&B Labs: Laboratory affiliate providing environmental and geotechnical chemistry services

Products and services

• Seabed Geotechnical Surveys Offshore, nearshore, and inland marine geotechnical survey services using a suite of soil sampling and in-situ measurement tools (box corers, piston corers, jumbo piston corers, vibracorers, cyclic T-bar instruments, Shelby tube samplers, piezocone penetrometers) combined with in-house geotechnical laboratory testing. Sold to oil & gas, offshore wind, and government clients for foundation engineering and seabed characterization.
• Marine Geophysical Surveys Marine geophysical survey services including multibeam echo sounder mapping, subbottom profiling, side-scan sonar, and 2D high-resolution seismic surveys for offshore hazard assessment, pipeline/cable routing, and seafloor mapping. Delivered to oil & gas operators, pipeline developers, and offshore wind clients.
• Seabed Geochemical Seep-Hunting Surface geochemical exploration services that search for chemically identifiable oil and gas compounds plus seep-induced physical, geological, and biological expressions to evaluate prospective petroleum systems. Sold to oil & gas exploration teams to reduce exploration risk.
• Environmental Baseline Surveys Multi-disciplinary oceanographic and environmental survey services for water sampling, sediment analysis, and environmental impact assessments supporting offshore development permitting and compliance. Provided to oil & gas, offshore wind, and federal/state regulatory agencies.
• Chemistry Laboratory Analytical Services In-house environmental and geochemical chemistry laboratory services including interstitial carbon gas analysis, total scanning fluorescence, gas chromatography, stable carbon isotope analysis, biological markers, PFAS testing, and ISO/IEC 17025 accredited analytical chemistry. Provided through the company's laboratory affiliate B&B Labs.
• Geotechnical Laboratory Services In-house geotechnical laboratory providing soil testing and Multi-Sensor Core Logging (MSCL) services for characterizing offshore geotechnical samples. Supports offshore foundation design and seabed soil classification.
• Geotek XCT Core Scanning Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Geotechnical data acquired to sediment depths double of conventional barrel length using CPT-Stinger
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GeoPartners LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Collaboration on multi-client MBES and seep sampling survey for offshore Liberia. TDI-Brooks deployed R/V GYRE for the project in partnership with NOCAL.
• National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Partnership with NOCAL and GeoPartners for multi-client survey program to reduce exploration risk across Liberian continental shelf, slope, and basin floor.
• CSA Ocean Sciences Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Following Liberia operations, R/V GYRE supported CSA Ocean Sciences on African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) project for ONHYM and NNPC.
• The National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026AAGP/Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline survey project under ONHYM and NNPC direction, executed by TDI-Brooks and CSA Ocean Sciences.
• Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026AAGP pipeline survey project for Nigerian gas pipeline development.
• United Oil & Gas PlccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2025MOU signed for geotechnical and surface geochemical survey program off Jamaica - Walton Morant license. R/V GYRE to conduct 40-60 seabed cores and MBES surveys.
• GEMS/GeosyntecminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 20 May 2025Engaged GEMS/Geosyntec to deliver Field Reporting for Enbridge geological assessment project in Gulf of Mexico.
• Staatsolie Maatschappij SurinamecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 November 2024Contracted by GeoPartners on behalf of Staatsolie for Suriname Seabed Piston Coring Project - 45,000 sq km multibeam and 60+ geochemical cores.
• DenAr Ocean Engineering S.A.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 October 2024Fifth consecutive geotechnical investigation project for DenAr in Black Sea. Included 49 gCPTs, 50 JPCs, 48 CPTs, and 41 BCs.
• GeohidraminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2024Third-party geotechnical coring project in Southern Gulf of Mexico near Ciudad del Carmen aboard MV Laguna Azule.
• Woodside EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2024Contract awarded for geotechnical survey at Calypso Development - third project at this location since 2022. Deployed R/V NAUTILUS DP2 vessel in 2,100m water depth.
• Compass Survey LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2024Contract for 2D Ultra High-Resolution seismic site surveys and pipeline route assessments for SPDC offshore Nigeria.
• USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20055-year GSA contract for NS&T Mussel Watch and Bioeffects Programs analytical chemistry services. Third consecutive five-year contract awarded.
• B&B Laboratories (Affiliate)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaboratory affiliate providing analytical chemistry services including ISO 17025 accredited PFAS testing, mussel watch programs, and environmental chemistry.
• Gulf Copper and ManufacturingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerShipyard partner for vessel maintenance - 5-year ABS shipyard periods completed at Gulf Copper facility in Port Arthur, TX.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Fugro: Global leader in offshore geotechnical, geophysical, and geo-data services with a deepwater vessel fleet and proprietary tools. Directly comparable to TDI-Brooks across seabed CPT, coring, and survey offerings but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• PGS (Petroleum Geo-Services): Global marine seismic acquisition and geoscience data provider with deepwater vessel fleet. Comparable as a peer in marine geophysical surveys and geoscience services, though at much larger scale and with seismic acquisition as the core offering.
• TGS: Multi-client geoscience data provider covering seismic, well data, and subsurface intelligence. Comparable as a peer across geoscience services and a current customer of TDI-Brooks for offshore survey projects; significantly larger scale and asset-light data model.
• RPS Group (Tetra Tech): Environmental, marine, and energy consultancy providing offshore survey, environmental baseline, and permitting services. Comparable to TDI-Brooks' environmental baseline survey line and broader oceanographic consulting scope; now part of Tetra Tech.

Direct peers

• Geoquip Marine: Specialist offshore geotechnical contractor operating dedicated CPT and drilling rigs for seabed investigation. Closely comparable to TDI-Brooks' deepwater CPT-Stinger and JPC coring services, serving similar IOC/NOC site-investigation clients.
• Benthic (ACTEON): Provider of offshore geotechnical and drilling services, now part of ACTEON's Geo-services portfolio. Directly comparable niche specialist in seabed sampling, CPT, and offshore site investigation for oil & gas and renewables clients.
• CSA Ocean Sciences: Marine environmental and offshore survey consultancy providing oceanographic, environmental baseline, and offshore survey services. Directly comparable to TDI-Brooks' environmental baseline line and a documented project partner on the AAGP pipeline survey.
• Gardline (Boskalis): Marine survey specialist (now part of Boskalis) providing geophysical, geotechnical, and environmental surveys globally. Closely comparable to TDI-Brooks across vessel-based survey offerings, with broader European and offshore wind presence.
• EGS Survey: Offshore geophysical and hydrographic survey company providing site investigation and route surveys. Comparable peer in 2D HR seismic, sub-bottom profiling, and pipeline/cable route survey services that overlap with TDI-Brooks' Marine Geophysical line.
• MMT (Ocean Infinity): Marine survey and subsea services provider (now part of Ocean Infinity) operating survey vessels for cable route, pipeline, and site investigation surveys. Comparable to TDI-Brooks in geophysical survey delivery and offshore wind cable route work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tdibrooks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tdi-brooks-international-inc-/mycompany/?viewAsMember=true

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TDI-Brooks International