he French geoscience company Viridien, formerly CGG, announced from Paris on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, a multi-client collaboration agreement with Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM). The agreement sets a joint framework under which the two partners will supply oil companies with integrated subsurface data and analytics covering the Kingdom’s sedimentary basins, offshore and onshore, which the group describes as extensive and underexplored. Under the multi-client model, such studies are carried out once and then licensed to several operators, which spreads their cost.
For Amina Benkhadra, director general of ONHYM, combining the Office’s regional expertise with the group’s technology creates “a powerful platform to enhance subsurface understanding, attract investment and accelerate exploration opportunities across Morocco.” Dechun Lin, head of Viridien’s Earth Data division, points to the group’s seismic imaging and data science. Neither the length of the agreement nor its value has been disclosed. Morocco, which imports most of its energy, is counting on partnerships of this kind to turn its basins into an exploration destination in their own right.
Photo: Ludovic Peron, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Oceanic Vega, a seismic vessel in the colors of CGGVeritas, Viridien’s predecessor.
