Norway, Russia exchange Barents Sea seismic data

Norway and Russia are exchanging seismic data from areas around the countries’ demarcation line in the Barents Sea.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and Russia’s Federal Subsoil Resources Management Agency (Rosnedra) signed an agreement in July, NPD said on Oct. 26.

“This agreement is extremely important,” said Stig-Morten Knutsen, NPD’s assistant director of exploration. “It allows us to achieve a better understanding of the regional geological conditions on both sides of the demarcation line and, not least, of geological structures that span across the line.”

NPD has received 6,500 km of 2D seismic and Rosnedra has received 5,900 km of 2D seismic. The agreement says the authorities will exchange about the same volume of data.

From the Russian side, the exchange includes all seismic collected in 2013 in the Fedynsky license and the central Barents Sea license, in a zone 50 km from the demarcation line (OGJ Online, July 8, 2013). Also included is a line from a natural gas discovery on Kildinskoye High.

From the Norwegian side, the exchange includes seismic data that NPD collected in 2012, 2013, and 2014, limited to east of 35°E. and south of 76°10’N. The Russians will also receive a seismic line from stratigraphic boreholes on the Sentralbank High, and a long line that spans north to south in the Arctic Ocean.