French Seismic acquisition systems firm Sercel has sold a complete marine seismic acquisition system to HJ Shipbuilding & Construction, a South Korean shipbuilding company, as part of a government-backed plan to explore for undersea resources.

Sercel said the contract called for the supply of a Seal 428 recording system, including Sentinel streamers, a Nautilus streamer positioning system, and G-Source II high-performance impulsive sources.

The system will be delivered in the first half of 2023 to equip the Tamhae 3, a 3D/4D seismic research vessel designed for the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM).

Sercel said its Sentinel solid streamers provide the best signal-to-noise ratio for towed-streamer acquisition.

"When combined with the powerful Nautilus streamer guidance and control system, Sercel offers the best marine seismic acquisition solution available to achieve the highest production while delivering superior data quality, whatever the environment or towing depth".

Emmanuelle Dubu, Sercel CEO, said: "We are delighted to have been selected to equip this new seismic vessel due to come into operation in 2024. With this contract, Sercel confirms its position as the world's leading designer and provider of marine seismic acquisition solutions. It also reflects our strong commitment to ongoing innovation in order to anticipate and meet the high-tech requirements that this sector demands."

Seoul revealed in 2021 that planned to build a new ship equipped with the latest devices to explore deep-sea resources.

Under the project, the country will spend 190 billion won ($172 million) to build the 6,000-ton vessel, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The project first kicked off in 2018.

The ship will be ready to set sail in 2024, and will replace the existing 2,084-ton research vessel, the Tamhae 2, which was built in 1996.