Viridien secures five-year contract with Ithaca Energy in the North Sea
The French geosciences group has been selected by operator Ithaca Energy for environmental and maritime surveillance services in a British North Sea area.
The agreement covers post-decommissioning monitoring of offshore installations, as part of an approach validated by British regulator OPRED.
A solution combining satellite monitoring and vessel surveillance
Viridien announced on September 17, 2026 the award by Ithaca Energy of a five-year contract for an integrated environmental surveillance and maritime situational awareness solution for the Greater Stella Area, in the British North Sea.
The service is based on a monitoring approach approved by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). It combines vessel monitoring via AIS through Sercel's Marlin Vessel Tracking and Alerts (VTA) platform and environmental surveillance intelligence from satellite sourced from Viridien's SeaScope service.
This system is presented as an alternative to conventional guard vessel coverage.
Real-time vessel tracking and satellite imagery
The Marlin software platform provides a common operational view of vessel movements in real time, offshore infrastructure, geo-barriers and automated proximity alerts. It also displays satellite imagery and interpreted surface data from SeaScope.
SeaScope combines automation, meteo-oceanographic data and expert interpretation to ensure large-scale monitoring of the ocean surface around offshore infrastructure. The service is designed to give Ithaca Energy better situational awareness regarding potential discharges and their source.
The consolidation of this information in a single operational view is intended to help operators manage risks in the context of their post-decommissioning surveillance activities.
Sercel's support for the combined solution
Jérôme Denigot, Chief Executive Officer of Sercel, stated: "We are proud to support Ithaca Energy with a solution that brings together Sercel's Marlin software and Viridien's SeaScope satellite surveillance service."
He added that this five-year contract demonstrates how these complementary technologies can help offshore operators monitor and manage their producing and decommissioned assets, identifying potential risks earlier.
Viridien employs approximately 3,200 people worldwide and is listed on Euronext Paris under the code VIRI.
