WesternGeco

What WesternGeco does

WesternGeco is a seismic and multiclient data operating brand within SLB (formerly Schlumberger), providing seismic data acquisition, processing, and licensing services to the global oil and gas exploration industry. It maintains one of the world's largest multiclient seismic data libraries, covering more than 3 million km of 2D data and 3.5 million km² of 3D data across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia, including named regional surveys such as Gulf of Mexico EDGE (50,000 km²), Amendment Phase 1 OBN (2,350 km²), Mozambique Enlightenment (~25,000 km of broadband 2D), Mozambique Angoche (15,000 km² 3D), and the Barents Sea Ice Bear 1 and 2 surveys.

The portfolio combines advanced acquisition technologies — ocean bottom node (OBN), wide-azimuth (WAZ), and narrow-azimuth (NAZ) seismic — with AI-augmented interpretation products. ExploreCube™ applies hybrid, self-supervised machine learning to generate 3D projections from 2D seismic data for frontier basin evaluation, and the Energy Insights Gateway packages subsurface data for energy-transition use cases including carbon storage, hydrogen storage, geothermal, and lithium brine assessment. Data is delivered ready for integration with SLB's Petrel subsurface platform and the broader Delfi digital environment.

Revenue is generated through two primary streams: (1) multiclient data licensing under multi-year enterprise contracts that grant recurring access to pre-acquired seismic data, and (2) commissioned new acquisitions and reprocessing of legacy data using advanced geophysical algorithms. Customers include major international oil companies, national oil companies, independent exploration and production companies, and entities evaluating sites for carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration. Go-to-market runs through SLB's global enterprise sales organization, augmented by industry events such as EAGE and digital platforms including the SLB Resource Library. WesternGeco also participates in the Subsea Services Alliance with OneSubsea, pairing multiclient seismic data with subsea intervention services for comprehensive field lifecycle support.

Name

WesternGeco

Legal name

SLB

Website

https://westerngeco.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Short description

WesternGeco is an SLB operating brand that acquires, processes, and licenses one of the world's largest multiclient seismic data libraries, serving oil and gas exploration companies, national oil companies, and carbon storage operators across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seismic Data Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360), Support Activities for Mining (2131)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Field Development Planning & Subsurface Reservoir Engineering (EUALAAAC)

Keywords

• Seismic data acquisition
• Multiclient data library
• Reservoir characterization
• Subsurface imaging
• Seismic survey services

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Multiclient Data Licensing: WesternGeco maintains and licenses access to one of the world's largest multiclient seismic data libraries. Customers pay for licenses to access pre-acquired seismic data covering major basins worldwide, enabling them to assess reservoir compartments, hydrocarbon potential, and production issues without conducting their own acquisition.
2. New Seismic Acquisitions and Reprocessing: New seismic data acquisition and reprocessing services where customers can commission new surveys or request reprocessing of existing legacy data to improve quality and fill data gaps using advanced geophysical algorithms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

WesternGeco provides seismic data acquisition and licensing services to the global upstream oil and gas industry, maintaining one of the world's largest multiclient seismic data libraries with over 3 million km of 2D data and over 3.5 million km² of 3D data across major hydrocarbon basins in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The company combines proprietary acquisition technologies (OBN, WAZ, NAZ), advanced imaging and reprocessing capabilities, and AI-powered analytics (ExploreCube™) to deliver reservoir characterization and subsurface imaging insights to exploration and production customers.

Product overview

WesternGeco is a product line within SLB offering one of the world's largest multiclient seismic data libraries with over 3 million km of 2D data and 3.5 million km² of 3D data spanning the Americas, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The portfolio includes regional survey products such as Gulf of Mexico EDGE (50,000 km²), Amendment Phase 1 OBN surveys, Mozambique Enlightenment (~25,000 km broadband 2D), and various Barents Sea Ice Bear surveys. Key AI-powered offerings include ExploreCube™ for frontier exploration using self-supervised machine learning, and the Energy Insights Gateway platform for CO2 storage and geothermal/lithium prospect evaluation. Data is delivered ready for integration with the Petrel platform and Delfi environment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Energy Insights Gateway: A tiered offering model enabling de-risking of CO2 and hydrogen geological storage, and improving prospect evaluation for geothermal, lithium and more.
• ExploreCube

Products and services

• Multiclient Data Library One of the world's largest multiclient seismic data libraries offering high-density 2D and 3D surveys across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia for reservoir characterization and subsurface imaging; licensed to oil and gas exploration companies, national oil companies, and independents.
• ExploreCube™ AI-powered tool for frontier exploration that unlocks basin geometry insights using hybrid, self-supervised machine learning 3D projection from 2D seismic data; designed for exploration and subsurface teams evaluating frontier basins.
• Energy Insights Gateway Tiered digital offering enabling de-risking of CO2 and hydrogen geological storage, and improving prospect evaluation for geothermal, lithium, and more; targeted at energy transition operators and carbon storage developers.
• U.S. Offshore Ultralong Offset Low Frequency Sparse OBN Library U.S. offshore engagement surveys featuring ultralong offset, low-frequency, sparse ocean bottom node data for U.S. offshore exploration customers.
• Amendment Phase 1 2,350 km² of OBN seismic acquisition data in U.S. offshore deepwater to accelerate field development and near-field exploration.
• Gulf of Mexico EDGE 50,000 km² of continuous seismic images ready for the Petrel platform, enabling visualization of underexplored subsalt structures in the central Gulf of Mexico.
• Gulf of Mexico Perdido Fold Belt Reimaging and full-azimuth (FAZ) multiclient seismic data for developing exploration, appraisal, and development strategies in the Perdido Fold Belt.
• Gulf of Mexico Campeche Basin 3D wide-azimuth data for identifying exploration opportunities by illuminating subsalt formations including three- and four-way closures in the Campeche Basin.
• Central Santos Basin Reimaging High-density 3D surveys in Brazil's presalt core area overcoming imaging challenges to delineate facies variations and faults.
• North Sea Carbon Storage Opportunities High-resolution 2D and 3D seismic data across the UK Continental Shelf for accelerating carbon storage site selection.
• Mozambique Enlightenment Project Approximately 25,000 km of broadband 2D seismic data for high-resolution depth imaging to improve subsurface understanding offshore Mozambique.
• Mozambique Angoche Basin 15,000 km² of broadband 3D seismic data for revealing hydrocarbon potential offshore the Angoche Basin.
• Barents Sea Ice Bear 1 2,400 km of 3D seismic data illuminating submarine fans, clinoforms, and a collapsed anticline structure in the Barents Sea.
• Barents Sea Ice Bear 2 Recently acquired 3D seismic data for imaging fault block, submarine fan, and sequence plays containing oil and gas in the Barents Sea.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces subsurface uncertainty and mitigates exploration risk through high-quality seismic imaging

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Subsea Services AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWesternGeco operates as part of the Subsea Services Alliance alongside OneSubsea, connecting multiclient seismic data capabilities with subsea intervention and workover services for comprehensive field lifecycle support

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CGG: CGG is a global geoscience technology company with a major multiclient seismic data library business that competes directly with WesternGeco in regions like the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, and offshore Africa. Both license 2D/3D seismic data and offer advanced subsurface imaging and reservoir characterization services.
• TGS: TGS is the largest pure-play multiclient geophysical data library company, directly competing with WesternGeco across 2D/3D seismic libraries in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Africa, and the Americas. Both companies license pre-acquired seismic data to IOC, NOC, and independent exploration customers on a multi-year basis.
• ION Geophysical: ION Geophysical provides seismic acquisition technology, multiclient data libraries, and advanced imaging services that compete with WesternGeco's offerings. Both target global E&P customers with marine and land seismic data licensing and processing.
• Shearwater Geoservices: Shearwater is a global marine geoservices company offering seismic acquisition and a growing multiclient data library. It directly competes with WesternGeco on OBN and WAZ surveys, particularly in the North Sea, Americas, and offshore Africa.
• PGS (Petroleum Geo-Services): PGS operates one of the world's largest multiclient seismic libraries and a global fleet of seismic acquisition vessels, competing head-to-head with WesternGeco in offshore multiclient surveys (OBN, WAZ, NAZ). Both serve the same IOCs/NOCs with library licensing and custom acquisition services.
• BGP Inc. (CNPC): BGP is one of the world's largest geophysical service companies and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNPC, operating a major global multiclient seismic library. It competes with WesternGeco especially in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, often with state-backed financing.

Broad incumbents

• SLB (Schlumberger): SLB is the parent company of WesternGeco and the world's largest oilfield services company, providing drilling, completion, production, and digital solutions. While SLB's Reservoir Characterization segment houses WesternGeco, the broader company also competes with pure-play seismic providers across integrated project scopes.
• Halliburton / Landmark Solutions: Halliburton is a global oilfield services major whose Landmark Solutions division offers seismic processing, interpretation, and reservoir characterization software and services that overlap with WesternGeco's geoscience workflows. It competes especially for integrated subsurface characterization contracts.

Emerging players

• Cosmic Bay (Geokinetics) / SAExploration: SAExploration and similar niche seismic acquisition companies compete with WesternGeco in regional and frontier seismic survey tenders, particularly for land and shallow-water projects in Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
• EMGS (Electromagnetic Geoservices): EMGS provides controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) surveys that complement traditional seismic imaging for hydrocarbon and geothermal prospecting. It overlaps with WesternGeco's reservoir characterization and frontier exploration use cases and is increasingly relevant as operators combine seismic + EM data.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 WesternGeco