Morocco boosts oil and gas exploration with new ONHYM-Viridien partnership

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Morocco is strengthening its efforts to make its sedimentary basins more attractive to international energy investors through a new cooperation agreement between the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and French geoscience company Viridien.

Announced in Paris on October 7, 2026, the multi-client collaboration is designed to improve access to integrated subsurface data and advanced analytical capabilities across Morocco’s onshore and offshore basins. The initiative brings together ONHYM’s knowledge of Moroccan geology and Viridien’s expertise in seismic imaging, geoscience and data analysis.

Rather than focusing solely on drilling activity, the partnership puts geological intelligence and data interpretation at the center of the exploration process. The objective is to provide companies operating in the sector with a clearer picture of underground structures and potential hydrocarbon-bearing formations.

Turning geological information into investment opportunities

For Morocco, the agreement comes as part of a broader strategy to use technical expertise and international partnerships to improve the understanding of its relatively underexplored sedimentary basins.

ONHYM already presents technical excellence, partnerships and knowledge of local geology as central components of its approach to hydrocarbon exploration. Its strategy includes the development and promotion of exploration opportunities in both onshore and offshore areas.

The collaboration with Viridien could strengthen that approach by combining existing regional geological knowledge with sophisticated imaging and data-processing technologies. Such tools can help exploration companies assess geological prospects before committing substantial resources to field operations.

The agreement is therefore intended not only to generate new technical insights, but also to facilitate knowledge sharing and support the identification and evaluation of future exploration opportunities.

Technology at the heart of the partnership

Viridien brings capabilities developed around geoscience, seismic imaging and Earth-data analysis. The company describes its digital services as including multi-client geoscience data and seismic-data ecosystems, supported by advanced processing and imaging technologies.

For Morocco, access to these capabilities offers a way to enhance the interpretation of complex subsurface environments. Better imaging can reduce uncertainty during the early stages of exploration and provide potential investors with more detailed technical information when assessing prospective areas.

Amina Benkhadra, CEO of ONHYM, said the partnership combines the Moroccan agency’s regional and geoscientific expertise with Viridien’s technological capabilities to improve subsurface understanding, attract investment and accelerate exploration opportunities.

Dechun Lin, Viridien’s Head of Earth Data, described the agreement as an important step in expanding the company’s presence in Africa while establishing a long-term relationship with ONHYM.

Morocco seeks to deepen its appeal to energy investors

The significance of the agreement extends beyond the two organizations involved. By making integrated geological information and analytical solutions available through a multi-client framework, the initiative is intended to improve the information base available to companies considering exploration projects in Morocco.

That could prove particularly relevant in areas where geological conditions remain insufficiently understood. Upstream investment decisions depend heavily on the quality of subsurface information, since companies must evaluate geological risks before moving toward costly exploration campaigns.

The partnership does not itself represent a new hydrocarbon discovery, nor does it guarantee future commercial production. Its immediate focus is technical: improving the quality of geological knowledge and creating a stronger foundation for future exploration decisions.

For ONHYM, the collaboration reinforces a model in which international technology partnerships are used to support Morocco’s efforts to develop its hydrocarbon resources and attract additional investment. For Viridien, it provides a new platform for applying its Earth-data and imaging capabilities in one of North Africa’s exploration markets.

A longer-term bet on subsurface knowledge

The agreement highlights an increasingly data-intensive dimension of modern energy exploration. As companies seek to manage geological uncertainty and optimize exploration spending, sophisticated subsurface imaging and analytics have become critical components of the upstream decision-making process.

For Morocco, the partnership with Viridien therefore represents an effort to move exploration forward through better information before the drill bit reaches the ground or seabed.

The next stage will depend on how the newly established framework translates geological data and technical analysis into concrete exploration activity. For now, the agreement establishes a platform aimed at making Morocco’s underexplored basins more visible and technically accessible to potential investors.