More precise than a tomograph

The area of 1,256 square kilometres: how research is progressing at the largest site in the history of domestic seismic exploration

In 2024 alone, Belorusneft plans to extract no less than one million 920 thousand tonnes of black gold. This figure has been steadily increasing each year, the development of new oil fields being one of the top priorities. Seismic explorers help determine whether oil is present in a given area. The work is currently underway in the Maisko-Makeevsko-Dneprovskaya area. Covering 1,256 square kilometres and spanning three districts, this large-scale project is unprecedented in the history of the exploration company. The oil workers have high hopes for this land.

Belorusneft seismic explorers conduct research on a given area       

‘Everyone must leave the danger zone’  

Not far from the seismic exploration camp, there are several settlements. Locals say they have already got used to the web of orange seismic cables, although initially, they were apprehensive about this activity. The system of interaction with people is well-established, as noted by Aleksandr Kostiukhin, the head of seismic exploration team No. 2, “As we approach a settlement, senior team leaders in the camp relay information about upcoming work through the village council chairpersons, who in turn inform the residents, including in village chat groups. This means we no longer need to visit each person on every street, as we did many years ago.”  
The seismic exploration camp looks like a town, with living trailers equipped with sleeping berths, a sauna and showers, and a dining hall providing three meals a day. If a team works at a remote location, food is delivered directly to the site.  
On this site, 10-12 teams of four people each work daily. The process is fine-tuned to the smallest detail and as regular as clockwork. A drilling rig and a tanker truck arrive at the designated point. Water is supplied to the mud sump in such a way that the drill easily penetrates the ground. After the drilling mast has been raised on the rig, and a five-metre rod has been attached, the drilling process begins. A total of four rods will be needed — the team requires a borehole 19 metres deep.
When the hole in the ground is ready, Igor Lasitsa, the fourth-class explosives specialist, comes into play. His mission is the most dangerous and responsible — placing the charge. A long whistle signal sounds, indicating that everyone must leave the danger zone. There should be no one within a 50-metre radius. While the area in the field is well visible, it is crucial to be as vigilant as possible in the forest, where teams also work, to ensure that no outsiders enter the specified radius. 
The explosion itself is remote-controlled. The impulse travels up to 10 kilometres deep, reflecting off target horizons, layers, and potential oil traps. Upon returning to the surface, it is registered by a vast number of sensors located there, which will ultimately help create a three-dimensional image of the Earth’s interior. A total of 112,000 wells will be needed, which means that teams will have to drill wells 50 metres apart 112,000 times before they gain invaluable information for further work. “3D seismic surveying can be compared to a sophisticated tomographic scanner used in medicine,” clarified Andrei Lozovoy, the head of the field seismic surveying department. “The results of our work yield a volumetric image of the rock. In comparison, 2D seismic surveying, which we conducted ten years ago, provides far less information.”

Faster by three years  

The work is now in full swing at the Maisko-Makeevsko-Dneprovskaya area — the largest project in the history of domestic seismic exploration. It covers an area of 1,256 square kilometres and spans the territories of Gomel, Loyev, and Rechitsa districts. It is far from being the easiest site, characterised by complex surface conditions that pose certain challenges for geophysicists. These include floodplain areas of the Dnieper and the Sozh rivers, as well as swampy territories. However, the modern technologies used will help accelerate the project by at least three years. The research is expected to be completed in 2025.
“The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that we are carrying out both field and in-office studies simultaneously,” recounted Piotr Povzhik, Deputy General Director for Geology at Belorusneft. “In other words, by the time we complete the overall work, we will already be planning the construction of the first exploratory wells on the left bank of the Dnieper. We will begin constructing the first wells directly in this area at the beginning of 2026.” 
Saving time means saving money. By the way, the Maisko-Makeevsko-Dneprovskaya area has long been on the radar of the oil workers, but the main obstacle to its study was the lack of effective practices. 

New knowledge and advanced technologies today allow carrying out what was previously considered impossible. 

The specialists have every reason to believe that these lands will replenish the enterprise’s geological base in the coming years.

Belorusneft seismic exploration camp, preparation for the drilling process

By Olga Valchenko

Photos by Ivan Yarivanovich