EMGS to Survey Pakistan Offshore Blocks in Q1 2027

Electromagnetic Geoservices’ planned survey for Mari Energies will add a new data set to the evaluation of Pakistan’s offshore exploration prospects. The Norwegian geophysical services company has received a letter of award for controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) work across multiple offshore blocks, with operations expected in the first quarter of 2027.

The work is intended to bring measurements of subsurface electrical resistivity together with seismic and geological information. That combination can help exploration teams compare prospects using more than one kind of evidence. For Mari Energies, the stated aim is to evaluate and rank targets, reduce uncertainty and inform choices about where future drilling may be warranted.

How the survey fits into prospect evaluation

Seismic and geological data describe different aspects of the subsurface. CSEM adds resistivity information: measurements of how strongly underground materials resist the passage of electrical current. Considered alongside the other data, those measurements can contribute another input when teams assess whether a prospect merits further work.

The award does not, by itself, identify a drilling location or establish that a prospect contains commercially recoverable hydrocarbons. The source describes the survey as a tool for improving prospect evaluation and supporting decisions on future drilling targets. Its practical value will depend on how the results fit with the seismic and geological evidence already available to the exploration teams.

That distinction matters for operators managing several prospects across a broad offshore area. A survey that helps rank targets can support more focused follow-up, while leaving the eventual drilling decision dependent on the full body of evidence. Mari Energies says it plans to use the technology to evaluate, rank and de-risk prospects as it pursues offshore exploration.

Work spans multiple blocks

EMGS is based in Oslo and specialises in geophysical services. Its award covers multiple offshore exploration blocks, though the source does not specify which blocks will be surveyed, the planned survey area, the vessel or equipment to be used, or the contract’s value. Those details will shape the operational picture as the expected first-quarter 2027 start approaches.

The award follows meetings involving senior EMGS representatives, Mari Energies’ management and technical teams, and the Pakistani company’s offshore joint-venture partners. Turkish Petroleum was named among those partners. The discussions brought the service provider together with the teams involved in the exploration programme, but no further operational arrangements or partner responsibilities were described.

For teams coordinating offshore work, the stated schedule gives a broad planning window rather than a specific start date. Survey preparation and the integration of results with existing data will determine when the information can feed into prospect comparisons. The source does not give a survey duration or a date for delivery of the results, so those milestones remain unspecified.

Part of a larger offshore programme

The survey award comes as Mari Energies builds its position in Pakistan’s offshore acreage. In May, agreements were finalised for 23 exploration blocks across the Indus and Makran basins, covering approximately 54,600 square kilometres. Initial investment commitments were reported at $82 million.

Mari Energies was the largest participant in that round. It secured operatorship of 18 blocks and non-operating interests in five more. The distinction means the company holds different roles across its portfolio: it will operate the majority of its awarded blocks, while participating without operatorship in the remaining five.

The scale of the acreage helps explain why prospect ranking is central to the programme. With blocks spread across two basins and covering a large offshore area, the company’s stated use for CSEM is to help compare exploration opportunities and reduce uncertainty before future drilling choices. The award signals that electromagnetic measurements are being added to the data mix; it does not establish which prospects will advance.

For EMGS, the work provides a defined survey opportunity tied to Mari Energies’ offshore portfolio. For the exploration teams, the next concrete milestone is the planned survey in the first quarter of 2027. The results’ contribution will be measured by how they combine with seismic and geological data to sharpen the ranking of prospects across the blocks.

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