31-07-03 The international geophysical service industry is to benefit from a new device that permits oil drilling in close proximity to existing wells without causing damage to them.
The device, called Summomer, uses transmitted and reflected sound waves in the seabed to detect nearby oil wells, which helps to direct the drilling bit to ensure that it avoids cutting into existing pockets.

A group of Vietnamese scientists and engineers working at the Vietnam-Russia petroleum joint venture, VietsovPetro, invented the device.
The invention was introduced for the first time at a two-day conference on "New Technologies and New Opportunities for the Petroleum Industry" organised by VietsovPetro and held in Vung Tau.