SMNG owns a specialized fleet, comprising four deepwater seismic vessels - S/V Akademik Shatsky, S/V Akademik Lazarev, S/V Akademik Nemchinov and S/V Professor Polshkov. Two of these, S/V Akademik Nemchinov and S/V "Akademik Shatsky" have a 3D seismic capability. We also possess two shallow water seismic vessels - S/V "Professor Rjabinkin" and catamaran S/V Iskatel-5, designed for operating in both deep and shallow water. The vessels were built in Poland and Finland's shipyards in 1984 - 1989.
Starting from the mid 90-s SMNG has invested heavily in modernizing and upgrading its fleet. All the vessels were reequipped with navigation-geophysical systems (NGS) through leasing and purchasing. To date six vessels have been rigged with NGSs, featuring 16-24-bit digital systems that enable 2D/3D seismic acquisition. Standard sources are air gun sources Bolt LL, Sleeve Guns and Sodera. Sources installed on M/V Akademik Shatsky and M/V Akademik Nemchinov comply with the highest industry standards (total volume up to 9,000 cu.in). The industry-leading integrated navigation system SPECTRA by Concept, purchased on a lease, was installed for navigation and positioning on two vessels - M/V Akademik Nemchinov and M/V Akademik Lazarev. M/V Professor Ryabinkin, M/V Professor Polshkov, M/V Akademik Shatsky and M/V Iskatel-5 have the integrated navigation system RGP-2D, a proprietary SMNG system. Acquired seismic data is then QC-ed and processed on SGI Origin 2000, IBM RISC 6000, Sun ULTRA and Sun SPARC workstations running ProMax software. In 1996 - 1997 M/V Akademik Shatsky and M/V Akademik Nemchinov were upgraded and reequipped for 2D/3D seismic operations in collaboration with Schlumberger Geco-Prakla.
In 2005 M/V Akademik Nemchinov has undergone essential technical re-equipment. After an upgrade the vessel's seismic equipment consists of a Seal Digital System 24 bit and the Seal Fluid digital streamers (4 x 6,000m) by Sercel.
The M/V Akademik Shatsky is suited for the acquisition of 2D surveys with a long single streamer and small-to-medium sized 3D surveys (two streamers). Today Akademik Shatsky has been engaged as a 2D vessel deploying the 8,000-10,000 m Seal Streamer.
The M/V Akademik Lazarev was built in Poland in 1987. She was modernized and reequipped. The M/V Akademik Lazarev is a long single streamer (length 8,100m) vessel for 2D surveys.
The M/V Professor Polshkov was built in Finland in 1984. She was modernized and reequipped. The M/V Professor Polshkov is a long single streamer (length 6,000m) vessel for 2D surveys.
The M/V Professor Ryabinkin is a shallow water vessel built in Finland in 1989 (draft - 2.15 m, endurance - 25 days). The vessel operates both in deep and shallow water with steamer length – 6,000m. The vessel can operate in transition zone up to see depths 5-6 meters.
The shallow water vessel Iskatel-5 (a catamaran) was built in 1987, but has since that time undergone several refits and upgrades, including the modernization and re-equipment in 2006. Now the vessel can operate 2D operations in both deep and shallow waters and also in transition zone. Operations in transition zone have earlier acquired using Yo-Yo (Start-Stop) method. SMNG used this method in Cuba, in the Pechora and Kara Seas and in the Tazov Bay (Siberia, Russia) shallow waters up to 3 m of water depth.
The SMNG shallow water vessels are of ice class and the deepwater vessels are strengthened ice class.